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5     I 


5     I 


THE  LIBRARY  OF  THE 

UNIVERSITY  OF. 

NORTH  CAROLINA 


ENDOWED  BY  THE 

DIALECTIC  AND  PHILANTHROPIC 

SOCIETIES 


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.ST 

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.^^.'V.^RSITY  OF  N.C.  AT  CHAPEL  HILL 


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This  book  is  due  at  the  WALTER  R.  DAVIS  LIBRARY  on 
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be  renewed  by  bringing  it  to  the  library. 


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Form  No  513, 
Rev.  7/94  11^1,^  I,; 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 
in  2013 


http://archive.org/details/firstdaysamongstbotu 


FIRST   DAYS 


AMONGST 


THE)    CONTRABANDS 


r- 


BT 

ELIZABETH   HYDE   BOTUME 


BOSTON 
LEE    AND    SHEPAED    PUBLISHEES 

10    MILK    STREET 

1893 


Copyright,  1892,  by  Lee  and  Shepard 


All  Rights  Reserved 


First  Days  amongst  the  Contrabands 


C.  J.  Fetees  &  Son, 

Type-Settees  and  Electeotypee8, 

145  High  St.,  Boston,  Mass. 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER  PAGE 

I.  Within  the  Lines 1 

II.  Contraband.     Origin  of  the  Name  .....  10 

III.  Trip  on  Government  Steamer  Arago  ....  22 

IV.  First  School-days 41 

V.  School-days 63 

VI.  My  Parish 82 

VII.  Whitney  School 99 

VIII.  The  First  Winter 114 

IX.  Housekeeping 128 

X.  Writing  Letters 143 

XL  The  Marriage  Ceremony 167 

XII.  Evacuation  of  Savannah 168 

XIII.  Jack  Flower's  Straw  Boat i  178 

XIV.  JiMMIE 181 

XV.  Disbanding  the  Troops 191 

XVI.  Emancipation  Jubilee 204 

XVII.  Refugees  Return  Home 209 

XVIII.  Storm  at  Sea 215 

XIX.  Hard  Times 225 

XX.  No  Longer  Contrabands 234 

XXI.  Thanksgiving 247 

XXII.  Speculators 259 

XXIII.  Reconstruction 267 

XXIV.  Progress 281 


iii 

65888 


<A^ 


# 


FIRST    DAYS   AMONGST    THE 
CONTRABANDS 


WITHIN  THE  LINES 

Why  did  I  first  go  within  the  Lines  ? 

This  question  is  often  asked  with  the  addition, 
''  Tell  us  about  it."  The  military  movements  con- 
nected with  the  Civil  War  are  well  known.  But 
the  great  mass  of  American  people  know  but  little, 
and  so  think  less,  of  that  other  great  event,  —  the 
greatest  in  the  history  of  the  world, — the  emancipa- 
tion of  four  million  human  beings  held  in  bondage 
in  the  Southern  States.  A  new  race  was  born  into 
freedom,  with  no  preparation  or  provision  for  the 
great  change.  That  this  could  be  accomplished 
without  disintegrating  the  whole  federal  govern- 
ment is  unprecedented  in  history. 

A  new  generation  has  come  to  the  front.  The  men 
and  women  who  were  in  active  life  in  1860  are  fast 
falling  out  of  line.  The  ranks  are  broken.  But  few 
veterans  can  now  respond  to  the  roll-call.  Let  us  tell 
our  stories  before  it  is  too  late.  Wonderful  strides 
have  been  made  in  the  political  and  business  world 

1 


2  FIx^ST   DAYS   WITH   THE   CONTRABANDS 

since  the  war.  No  wonder  people  who  were  infants 
then,  or  have  been  born  since,  listen  to  stories  of 
those  stirring  times,  and  "before  the  war,"  with  sur- 
prise and  incredulity.  The  ex-slaves  are  no  longer 
freedmen.  They  are  negroes.  The  name  of  con- 
traband has  no  significance.  It  is,  at  best,  only  a 
local  term.  In  the  meantime,  these  ex-slaves  have 
doubled  in  number,  and  increased  in  capacity  and 
intelligence  a  hundred-fold. 

How  was  Slavery  regarded  ? 

In  1861  Alexander  H.  Stevens,  vice-president  of 
the  Southern  Confederacy,  said,  — 

*^The  prevailing  ideas  entertained  by  most  of  the  leading  states- 
men at  the  time  of  the  formation  of  the  old  Constitution  were,  that 
the  enslavement  of  the  African  race  was  in  violation  of  the  laws 
of  nature  ;  that  it  was  wrong  in  principle,  —  socially,  morally, 
and  politically.  These  ideas,  however,  were  fundamentally 
wrong.  They  rested  upon  the  assumption  of  the  equality  of 
races.  This  is  an  error.  It  was  a  sand  foundation;  and  the 
idea  of  a  government  built  upon  it !  When  the  storm  came  and 
the  wind  blew,  it  fell. 

**Our  new  government  is  founded  upon  exactly  the  opposite 
ideas;  its  foundations  are  laid;  its  corner-stone  rests  upon  the 
great  truth  that  the  negro  is  not  equal  to  the  white  man;  that 
slavery,  subordination  to  the  superior  race,  is  his  natural  and 
moral  condition.  This,  our  new  government,  is  the  first  in  the 
history  of  the  world  based  upon  this  great  physical,  philosophical, 
and  moral  truth.'* 

Jefferson  Davis,  president  of  the  Southern  Con- 
federacy, said  in  his  message,  April  29,  1861, — 

*^  In  a  moral  and  social  condition  they  [the  slaves]  have  been 
elevated  from  brutal  savages  into  docile,  intelligent,  and  civilized 
agricultural   laborers;   and  supplied   not   only  with  bodily  com- 


HOW  WAS  SLAVERY  REGAHDED         3 

forts,  but  with  careful  religious  instruction,  under  the  supervision 
of  a  superior  race.  Their  labor  has  been  so  directed  as  not  only 
to  allow  a  gradual  and  marked  amelioration  of  their  own  condi- 
tion, but  to  convert  hundreds  of  thousands  of  square  miles  of  the 
wilderness  into  cultivated  lands  covered  with  a  prosperous  people. 
Towns  and  cities  have  sprung  into  existence,  and  it  [the  country] 
rapidly  increased  in  wealth  and  population  under  the  social  system 
of  the  South." 

While  the  Southern  leaders  were  thus  defending 
slavery,  and  the  mass  of  Southern  people  were  trying 
to  tighten  their  chains,  many  Northerners  were 
hotly  declaring  that  slavery  had  nothing  to  do  with 
the  war,  nor  would  the  war  touch  the  "  divine 
institution  of  slavery."  At  the  same  time  Free- 
dom, like  the  soul  of  John  Brown,  was  steadily 
''marching  on." 

Charles  Sumner,  that  great  champion  for  justice 
and  humanity,  said,  — 

"  Look  at  the  war  as  you  will,  and  you  will  always  see  slavery. 
Never  were  the  words  of  the  Roman  orator  more  applicable:  *  No 
guilt,  unless  through  thee;  no  crime  without  thee.'  Slavery  is  its 
inspiration,  its  motive  power,  its  end  and  aim,  — its  be  all  and  end 
all.  It  is  often  said  the  war  will  make  an  end  of  slavery.  This 
is  probable;  but  it  is  surer  still  that  the  overthrow  of  slavery  will 
at  once  make  an  end  of  the  war. 

*'  It  is  not  necessary  even,  according  to  a  familiar  phrase,  to  carry 
the  war  into  Africa;  it  will  be  enough  if  we  carry  Africa  into 
the  war,  in  any  form,  any  quantity,  any  way." 

These  extracts  show  the  spirit  of  the  times.  The 
whole  country  was  intensely  aroused.  When  the 
war  broke  out,  public  opinion  was  like  the  waves  of 
the  ocean  in  a  tempest,  —  rushing  up  and  down, 
seething,  roaring,  hissing. 


4  FIRST  DAYS   WITH   THIL   CONTEABANDS 

Slavery. 

People  at  the  North  knew  but  little  of  slavery 
as  it  existed  in  the  United  States  seventy-five  or 
even  fifty  years  ago.  It  was  a  terra  incognita  to 
them.  When  brought  face  to  face  with  the  slaves, 
as  they  were  during  the  war,  it  was  like  the  dis- 
covery of  a  new  race.  I  do  not  mean  politically. 
Everybody  knows  something  of  the  politics  of  the 
times.  History  gives  us  the  facts.  What  was 
known  of  the  slaves  themselves?  Had  they  any 
individuality?  Were  they,  as  we  were  often  told, 
only  animals  with  certain  brute  force,  but  no  capa- 
city for  self-government?  Or  were  they  reasoning 
beings  ? 

"I  do  assure  you,"  once  said  a  Southern  woman 
to  me,  ''  you  might  as  well  try  to  teach  your  horse 
or  mule  to  read,  as  to  teach  these  niggers.  They 
canH  learn." 

''  Then,"  said  I,  "  will  you  be  so  kind  as  to  tell 
me  why  they  made  stringent  laws  at  the  South 
against  doing  what  could  not  he  done  ?  " 

''  Oh,  the  laws  were  made  to  protect  the  house-ser- 
vants and  town  niggers.  Some  of  these  were  smart 
enough  for  anything.  But  the  country  niggers  are 
like  monkeys.  You  can't  learn  them  to  come  in 
when  it  rains,"  was  her  flippant  answer. 

This  was  said  to  me  just  at  the  close  of  the  war. 
Her  statement  refuted  itself,  —  not  an  uncommon 
thing  in  those  unsettled  times.  Negro  schools  had 
then  been  started  with  marked  success. 


SLAVERY  5 

To  a  casual  observer,  the  slaves  seemed  to  be  a 
careless,  easy-going  race,  governed  by  impulse,  and 
as  contented  with  their  present  condition  as  they 
could  be  in  any  other.  Many  good  people,  who  saw 
them  only  in  holiday  array,  were  deceived  by  their 
manner.  Hence  such  books  as  "  South  Side  View  of 
Slavery,"  and  others,  were  written  in  defence  of 
the  institution. 

The  slaves  of  the  town  were  mostly  a  merry, 
rollicking  set,  active  and  alert.  The  country  people 
and  field-hands  w^ere  more  apathetic.  They  were, 
apparently,  indifferent,  unobservant,  and  uncom- 
municative. How  was  it  among  themselves?  In 
every  community,  on  every  plantation,  there  were 
more  or  less  restlessness  and  dissatisfaction  among 
them.  They  well  knew  their  condition  as  slaves. 
They  knew,  too,  the  possibilities  of  freedom  some- 
where beyond  the  line  of  the  Southern  States. 

In  the  earliest  days  they  had  their  secret  socie- 
ties, their  leaders  and  earnest  advisers.  Long  be- 
fore anti-slavery  societies  were  recognized  at  the 
North,  or  abolitionists  became  the  bugbear  of  the 
South,  the  slaves  met  in  swamps  at  midnight  and 
planned  and  plotted  to  break  their  chains.  Free- 
dom was  the  North  Star,  towards  which  their  faces 
were  constantly  turned.  There  are  those  of  the 
older  generation  who  can  remember  the  Denmark 
Vesey  Insurrection,  which  only  failed  at  the  last 
moment. 

Without  any  knowledge  of  newspapers,  or  books, 
or  telegraphy,  the  slaves  had  their  own  way  of  gath- 


b  FIRST   DAYS   WITH   THE   CONTRABANDS 

ering  news  from  the  whole  country.  They  had 
secret  signs,  an  ''  Underground  Telephone,"  like  the 
"  Underground  Railroad,"  which  was  of  later  date ; 
also  unknown  and  unnoticed  limited  express  mes- 
sengers. Intuitively  they  learned  all  the  tricks 
of  dramatic  art.  Their  perceptions  were  quickened. 
When  seemingly  absorbed  in  work,  they  saw  and 
heard  all  that  was  going  on  around  them.  They 
memorized  with  wonderful  ease  and  correctness. 
The  negro  mind  had  never  been  cultivated;  it 
was  like  an  empty  reservoir,  waiting  to  be  filled. 
Under  their  calm  exterior  was  always  a  smoulder- 
ing volcano  ready  to  burst  forth.  Of  course  the 
sharpest  and  most  unscrupulous  overseers  were 
needed  to  watch  the  slaves,  while  bloodhounds  were 
kept  to  track  fugitives. 

Not  long  ago  I  heard  some  negro  women  talking 
of  old  times  over  their  sewing.     One  said,  — 

"My  father  and  the  other  boys  used  to  crawl 
under  the  house  an'  lie  on  the  ground  to  hear 
massa  read  the  newspaper  to  missis  when  they 
first  began  to  talk  about  the  war." 

"See  that  big  oak-tree  there?"  said  another. 
"Our  boys  used  to  climb  into  that  tree  an'  hide 
under  the  long  moss  while  massa  was  at  supper, 
so  ^s  to  hear  him  an'  his  company  talk  about 
the  war  when  they  come  out  on  the  piazza  to 
smoke." 

"  I  couldn't  read,  but  my  uncle  could,"  said 
a  third.  "  I  was  waiting-maid,  an'  used  to  help 
missis  to  dress  in   the  morning.     If   massa  wanted 


SLAVERY  7 

to  tell  her  something  he  didn't  want  me  to  know, 
he  used  to  spell  it  out.  I  could  remember  the  let- 
ters, an'  as  soon  as  I  got  away  I  ran  to  uncle  an' 
spelled  them  over  to  him,  an'  he  told  me  what  they 
meant." 

I  was  attracted  by  this,  and  asked  if  she  could  do 
this  now. 

''Try  me,  missis ;  try  me,  an'  see  !"  she  exclaimed. 
So  I  spelled  a  long  sentence  as  rapidly  as  possible, 
without  stopping  between  the  words.  She  imme- 
diately repeated  it  after  me,  without  missing  a 
letter. 

The  children  of  this  woman  were  amongst  the 
first  to  enter  a  freedman's  school  during  the  war. 
They  took  to  books  as  ducks  take  to  water.  The 
youngest,  a  boy,  was  really  entered  when  a  baby 
in  his  sister's  arms,  and  was  only  allowed  to  re- 
main because  his  nurse  could  not  come  without 
him.  As  soon  as  he  could  walk  his  mother  com- 
plained he  did  not  know  anything.  When  he  was 
three  years  old  she  was  bitterly  disappointed  that 
he  could  not  read. 

''Why,  if  I  had  his  chance,"  she  exclaimed, 
rolling  up  her  eyes  and  stretching  out  her  hands, 
"do  you  think  I  would  not  learn  !  " 

It  goes  without  saying,  that  her  children  be- 
came good  scholars.  This  youngest  boy  is  now  a 
leader  amongst  his  own  people. 

Many  thrilling  stories  have  been  written  of  the 
struggles  of  these  poor  creatures  to  secure  that  lib- 
erty which  is  the   foundation  and   bulwark    of   our 


8  FIRST   DAYS   WITH   THE   CONTKABANDS  ] 

I 

Constitution.     ''We    hold   thehe   truths    to  be  self-  \ 

evident,  that  all  men  are  born  free  and  equal."  j 

Others  of  these  stories  will  be  written  and  read  ] 

in   the    future.     In    each    little    district   were    pa-  I 

thetic   histories  proving  that  ''truth"  is  "stranger  ] 

than  fiction."  \ 

"  Uncle  Tom's    Cabin,"  with  its  vivid  pictures  of  \ 

the  conditions    and    possibilities  of   slavery   in    the  I 

first  half  of   this  century,  was  eagerly  read   by  all  j 

who  could  get   hold  of   it.     At   the    South   it   was  ^ 

tabooed.     Postmasters  refused  to  let  it  go  through  \ 

their    offices.     Whether    this    was    an    edict    from  j 

higher  officials  I  am  not  able  now  to  say.  | 

In  1850   I  happened   to  be   in    Central   Georgia.  \ 

A  copy  of  "Uncle  Tom's  Cabin"  was  sent  me.     It  j 

was   taken  from  its  wrapper  at  the   post-office  and  | 

eagerly  read   by  the    postmaster,  his    clerk,  and  all  I 

the  young  men  of  the  town.     Then  word  was  sent  [ 

to  me  that  the  book  had  been  received,  and  thrown  | 

into  the  fire,  which  would  be  the  fate  of  all  other  j 
incendiary    documents.     Half    the   world  who    read 
this  book  denied  its  truthfulness,  and  the  other  half 
tried  to  forget  it. 

Then  came  the  "  Fugitive  Slave  Bill."  There  was 
a  fierce  struggle  for  humanity  at  the  North,  and  de- 
termined resistance  at  the  South.  A  battle  was 
pending  between  Might  and  Right.  Slavery  was 
tottering. 

In  the  meantime,  the  slaves  as  a  race  were  seem- 
ingly oblivious   to  all  that  was  going  on.     But,  i' 
fact,   they  well   understood  who  were  their  frienc 


m 


SLAVERY  9 

and  what  they  were  doing  for  them.  So  they 
watched  and  prayed  and  waited  in  hourly  expecta- 
tion. All  their  ''spirituals,"  their  shouting  songs, 
had  freedom  in  some  guise  or  other  as  a  refrain. 

*'  We  must  fight  for  liberty 
In  that  new  Jerusalem/' 

was  their  Marseillaise. 

These  people  knew  from  the  first  of  all  the  talk 
about  "  States'  Rights,"  "  Secession,"  etc.  When 
the  Southerners  were  in  secret  session,  plotting  dis- 
sension, the  slaves  were  also  holding  secret  meet- 
ings, planning  for  their  own  escape.  There  are 
many  instances  of  the  slaves'  heroic  devotion  and 
self-sacrifice  to  their  masters'  families,  while  they 
were  devoutly  praying  in  secret  for  the  overthrow 
of  the  Rebels  and  success  of  the  Unionists. 


10  FIRST   DAYS   WITH   THE   CONTRABANDS 


II 

CONTRABAND 

Origin  of  the  Name. 

In  the  War  of  the  Rebellion,  May  24,  1861,  a 
report  was  sent  to  headquarters  of  the  Union  army 
which  read  thus :  "  Three  fugitives,  the  property 
of  Colonel  Mallory,  commander  of  the  Rebel  forces 
near  Hampton,  were  brought  into  Fortress  Mon- 
roe by  the  picket  guard.  They  represented  that 
they  were  about  to  be  sent  South,  and  hence 
sought  protection.  Major  Gary  came  in  with  a 
flag  of  truce,  and  claimed  their  rendition  under 
the  '  Fugitive  Slave  Law,'  but  was  informed  by 
General  Butler  that,  under  the  peculiar  circum- 
stances, he  considered  the  fugitives  '  contraband ' 
of  war." 

From  this  time  the  ex-slaves  were  known  and 
designated  as  '-'contrabands^^'  a  name  which  clung  to 
them  for  a  long  time,  and  which  is  still  heard  in 
some  localities.  They  could  not  be  called  f reed- 
men,  as  emancipation  had  not  yet  been  declared. 
Events  now  crowded  upon  each  other  thicker  and 
faster.  Wars  and  rumors  of  wars  filled  the  land, 
and  all  the  people  were  in  arms. 


EXODUS   OF   THE   CONTRABANDS  11 

The  Exodus  of  the  Contrabands. 

Early  in  November,  1861,  the  United  States  fleet, 
under  command  of  Commodore  S.  F.  Dupont,  ar- 
rived off  Port  Royal  Harbor,  S.C,  and  on  the  7th 
the  Rebels  abandoned  their  forts,  and  the  Union 
forces  took  possession  of  the  entire  country  around. 
This  included  a  group  of  sea-islands,  on  which 
were  some  of  the  richest  and  finest  plantations 
to  be  found  in  the  South.  As  the  Union  forces 
advanced,  the  Rebels  retreated  to  the  mainland, 
and  left  their  plantations  to  the  care  of  the  ne- 
groes, who  were  reported  as  ''  wild  with  joy  at  the 
defeat  of  the  Rebels.  They  had  been  shot  down, 
they  say,  like  dogs,  because  they  would  not  go  off 
with  their  masters." 

All  the  white  people  had  fled.  When  Beaufort 
was  taken,  Dec.  8,  there  was  but  one  white  man  to 
be  found,  and  it  was  said  he  was  too  intoxicated 
to  leave.  Negroes  poured  into  the  Union  lines 
from  all  directions.  They  believed  the  day  of  jubi- 
lee had  come,  and  these  were  their  protectors  and 
friends.  In  Beaufort  the  negroes  were  pillaging  the 
town.  They  said  the  whites  were  shooting  them 
right  and  left,  in  order  to  drive  them  back  into 
the  interior.  One  man,  whose  name  was  given, 
was  said  to  have  shot  six  of  his  slaves. 

That  was  indeed  a  ''time  to  try  men's  souls;"  a 
time,  too,  when  all  were  on  trial  before  the  world, 
and  forced  to  show  what  they  were  good  for. 

The  fate  and  condition  of  the  negroes  became  a 


12  IRST  DAYS   WITH  THE   COKTBABANDS 

matter  of  deep  interest  to  the  whole  civilized  world. 
Many  conflicting  reports  concerning  them  were 
spread  abroad. 

General  Thomas  F.  Drayton,  who  was  a  native 
of  the  South,  but  a  Union  naval  officer,  while  his 
brother  was  in  the  Confederate  army,  wrote,  — 

*^So  far  from  there  being  any  insurrectionary  feelings  among 
the  negroes,  I  have  never  heard  nor  seen  any  act  of  pillaging, 
incendiarism,  or  violence  in  any  direction.  It  is  true  that  the 
negroes  of  a  few  plantations  have  shown  a  spirit  of  insubordina- 
tion by  refusing  to  remove  up  the  country  when  ordered  to  do 
so  by  their  owners ;  but  this  disobedience  should  be  assigned  rather 
to  a  feeling  of  dismay  and  utter  helplessness  at  being  left  alone 
and  unprotected  by  the  precipitate  abandonment  by  their  masters 
of  their  plantations,  than  from  any  organized  plan  of  resistance 
to  the  authority  they  had  been  accustomed  to  obey.  They  are 
fast  recovering  from  their  fright,  and  coming  forth  from  their  hid- 
ing-places, and  quietly  and  submissively  resuming  their  agricul- 
tural labors  without  the  guidance  or  presence,  in  many  instances, 
of  either  master  or  overseer.'^ 

Early  in  the  winter  an  expedition  under  Com- 
mander Drayton  went  up  the  Ashepoo  River.  Not 
long  after  other  expeditions  were  formed  to  make 
raids  upon  the  more  remote  of  the  sea-islands,  which 
had  now  been  entirely  abandoned  by  their  owners. 
The  negroes  had  been  left  to  take  care  of  them- 
selves, and  were  in  a  most  demoralized  condition. 
At  Hutchinson's  Island  they  were  found  crouching 
about  some  smoking  ruins,  and  were  in  a  most  des- 
titute condition. 


REFUGEES  13 

Refugees, 

The  reports  of  these  expeditions,  as  given  by  the 
officers  of  the  gunboats  and  by  the  "  contrabands " 
themselves,  were  often  touching  and  amusing  in  the 
extreme. 

An  overseer  on  one  of  the  plantations  ran  into  the 
house  when  he  heard  the  boats  were  in,  sight,  and 
excitedly  called  all  the  negroes  together,  saying, 
"  The  Yankees  are  coming !  The  Yankees  are  com- 
ing !  The  gunboats  are  down  the  river.  You  must 
all  keep  out  of  sight.  Don't  let  them  see  you.  If 
they  land  near  here,  cut  and  run  and  hide  where  no- 
body can  find  you.  I  tell  you  them  Yanks  are  the 
very  devil !  If  they  catch  you  they  will  sell  you  to 
New  Orleans  or  Cuba  !  " 

"Never  fear.  We'll  run  sure.  We'll  run  so  de 
Debil  hisself  couldn't  catch  we  !"  they  all  exclaimed. 

''  Don't  you  worry,  Massa  Jim,"  said  the  old  cook. 
"We  all  hear  'bout  dem  Yankees.  Folks  tell  we 
they  has  horns  an'  a  tail.  I  is  mighty  skeery  myself, 
an'  I  has  all  my  t'ings  pick  up,  an'  w'en  I  see  dem 
coming  I  shall  run  like  all  possess'." 

"Well,  I  am  going  to  the  main,  and  I  leave  all 
here  in  your  care,"  said  the  overseer  as  he  rode  off. 

"  Good-by,  ole  man,  good-by.  That's  right.  Ske- 
daddle as  fas'  as  you  kin,"  said  the  negroes  as  the 
white  man  disappeared.  "  When  you  cotch  we 
ag'in,  I  'specs  you'll  know  it.  We's  gwine  to  run 
sure  enough ;  but  we  knows  the  Yankees,  an'  we 
runs  that  way." 


14  FIRST   DAYS   WITH   THE   CONTRABANDS 

As  the  boats  ascended  the  river,  crowds  of  poor 
colored  people  were  seen  in  some  places  huddled 
together,  or  scattered  along  the  shores,  screaming 
and  gesticulating  in  the  wildest  manner.  Some  of 
the  more  daring  leaped  into  the  water,  trying  to 
wade  or  swim  to  the  boats  before  they  were  landed. 

When  the  gunboats  touched  the  shore,  the  news 
spread  like  wildfire.  Men,  women,  and  children 
rushed  frantically  to  them,  begging  to  be  taken  on 
board.  There  was  a  curious  mixture  of  hope  and 
fear  amongst  these  wretched  creatures. 

All  the  white  people  on  the  plantations  had  left 
precipitately  for  the  interior  of  the  State,  taking  with 
them  as  many  of  their  servants  as  possible,  and  leav- 
ing the  rest  to  their  fate.  On  some  of  the  places  all 
the  strong  and  able-bodied  slaves  had  been  carried 
"  up  country  "  by  their  masters,  and  only  the  weak 
and  decrepit  had  been  left  behind. 

In  this  general  stampede  for  the  boats,  of  course 
the  youngest  and  strongest  were  first  on  board. 
Those  still  on  shore  begged  so  piteously  to  be  taken 
care  of,  that  they  were  put  in  the  guard-house  for 
safe  keeping.  When  order  was  a  little  restored,  an 
officer  walked  past  the  guard-house,  and,  looking  in 
upon  the  crowd  there,  said,  "  Well,  what  are  you  all 
about?" 

^'Dat's  jes'  what  we'd  like  ter  fin'  out,  massa,"  said 
one  of  them. 

Some  sad  scenes  were  witnessed.  Mothers  were 
separated  from  their  children,  and  "  old  parents " 
were  overlooked.     These  poor  creatures,  on  the  re- 


REFUGEES  15 

mote  plantations  of  distant  islands,  had  been  in  the 
most  abject  fear  for  a  long  time.  Now  those  who 
had  reached  what  seemed  to  them  safety  were  wild 
with  delight,  and  immediately  began  their  jubilant 
shouting  songs.  But  those  left  behind  unprotected, 
ran  along  the  shore  and  even  rushed  into  the  water, 
uttering  the  most  heartrending  moans  and  wailings, 
which  continued  until  the  boat  was  out  of  sight  and 
sound. 

Many  grotesque  scenes  were  also  witnessed.  When 
the  government  steamer  John  Adams  anchored  at 
one  of  the  plantations,  the  negroes  rushed  along,  car- 
rying every  conceivable  thing  on  their  heads  that 
could  possibly  be  plac^  there,  —  clothing,  blankets, 
tubs,  pots,  kettles,  pigs,  and  chickens.  One  old  man 
had  his  sick  wife  on  his  back,  and  a  half-grown  boy 
had  his  blind  daddy,  toting  him  along  "  to  freedom." 
A  huge  negress  was  seen  striding  along  with  her 
hominy  pot,  in  which  was  a  live  chicken,  poised  on 
her  head.  One  child  was  on  her  back,  with  its  arms 
tightly  clasped  around  her  neck,  and  its  feet  about 
her  waist,  and  under  each  arm  was  a  smaller  child. 
Her  apron  was  tucked  up  in  front,  evidently  filled 
with  articles  of  clothing.  Her  feet  were  bare,  and  in 
her  mouth  was  a  short  clay  pipe.  A  poor  little  yel- 
low dog  ran  by  her  side,  and  a  half-grown  pig  trotted 
on  before. 

Another  woman  staggered  along  under  a  large, 
rice-straw  bed  and  her  blankets.  A  man  had  a 
heavy  box-coop  filled  with  fowls.  Innumerable  were 
the   pathetic  and  ludicrous  stories  told  by  officers 


16  FIRST   DAYS    WITH   THE   CONTRABANDS 

and  men,  of   scenes  which  they  witnessed  on  these 
expeditions. 

When  all  these  people  were  brought  to  Beaufort, 
the  town  was  full  to  overflowing.  They  were  quar- 
tered in  every  available  place,  'and  packed  as  closely 
as  possible,  —  in  churches  and  storehouses,  and  in  the 
jail  and  arsenals.  Most  of  the  "negro  quarters" 
had  been  taken  possession  of  by  the  slaves  who  for- 
merly lived  on  the  island,  and  who  had  fled  from 
their  old  masters  on  the  mainland,  back  to  their 
homes.  Gangs  of  these  poor  refugees  were  sent  to 
different  plantations,  until  there  was  shelter  for  no 
more.  There  was  still  a  great  throng  houseless,  with 
no  resting-place.  Tents  were  put  up  for  them  until 
barracks  could  be  built  outside  the  town,  of  which 
Montgomery  District  was  one. 

Organization  of  the  Contrabands. 

As  soon  as  military  discipline  was  established  on 
the  islands,  the  officers  saw  that  something  must  be 
done  to  protect  the  colored  people.  General  T.  W. 
Sherman  then  issued  the  following  "  Order "  from 
Hilton  Head,  S.C,  Feb.  6,  1862:  — 

^*  The  helpless  condition  of  the  blacks  inhabiting  the  vast  area 
in  the  occupation  of  this  command,  calls  for  immediate  action  on 
the  part  of  a  highly  favored  and  philanthropic  people. 

'^  The  occupation  of  a  large  portion  of  this  area  of  country  on 
the  7th  of  November  last,  led  to  an  address  to  the  people  of  South 
Carolina,  briefly  setting'  forth  the  causes  which  led  to  it,  its  objects 
and  purposes,  and  inviting  all  persons  to  the  re-occupation,  in  a 
loyal  spirit,  of  their  lands  and  tenements,  and  to  a  continuance  of 
their  avocations,  under  the  auspices  of  their  legitimate  government 
and  the  protection  of  the  Constitution  of  the  United  States. 


ORGANIZATION   OF   THE   CONTRABANDS  17 

**  The  conciliatory  and  beneficent  purposes  of  that  proclamation, 
except  in  few  instances,  have  not  only  been  disregarded,  but  hordes 
of  totally  uneducated,  ignorant,  and  improvident  blacks  have  been 
abandoned  by  their  constitutional  guardians,  not  only  to  all  the 
future  chances  of  anarchy  and  of  starvation,  but  in  a  state  of  such 
abject  ignorance  and  mental  stolidity,  as  to  preclude  all  possibility 
of  self-government  and  self-maintenance  in  their  present  condition. 

**  Adequate  provisions  for  the  pressing  necessities  of  this  unfor- 
tunate and  now  interesting  class  of  people  being,  therefore,  now 
imperatively  demanded,  even  by  the  dictates  of  humanity  alone, 
an  additional  duty,  next  only  in  importance  to  that  of  the  preser- 
vation of  a  world-revered  Constitution  and  Union,  is  now  forced 
upon  us  by  an  unnatural  and  wicked  rebellion. 

^*To  relieve  the  government  of  a  burden  that  may  hereafter 
become  insupportable,  and  to  enable  the  blacks  to  support  and 
govern  themselves  in  the  absence  and  abandonment  of  their  dis- 
loyal guardians,  a  suitable  system  of  cultivation  and  instruction 
must  be  combined  with  one  providing  for  their  physical  wants. 

'*  Therefore,  until  proper  legislation  on  the  subject,  or  until 
orders  from  a  higher  authority,  the  country  in  occupation  of  the 
forces  of  this  command  will  be  divided  off  into  districts  of  conven- 
ient size  for  proper  superintendence.  For  each  of  these  districts  a 
suitable  agent  will  be  appointed  to  superintend  the  management 
of  the  plantations  by  the  blacks  ;  to  enroll  and  organize  the  will- 
ing blacks  into  working  parties  ;  to  see  that  they  are  well  fed,  clad, 
and  paid  a  proper  remuneration  for  their  labor  ;  to  take  charge  of 
all  property  on  the  plantations,  whether  found  there,  provided  by 
the  government,  or  raised  from  the  soil,  and  to  perform  all  other 
administrative  duties  connected  with  the  plantations  that  may  be 
required  by  the  government.  A  code  of  regulations  on  this  sub- 
ject, as  well  as  a  proper  division  of  districts,  will  be  furnished  in 
due  time. 

**  In  the  meanwhile,  and  until  the  blacks  become  capable  of 
themselves  of  thinking  and  acting  judiciously,  the  services  of  com- 
petent instructors  will  be  received,  —  one  or  more  for  each  district, 
—  whose  duties  will  consist  in  teaching  them,  both  young  and  old, 
the  rudiments  of  civilization  and  Christianity,  their  amenability  to 
the  laws  of  both  God  and  man,  their  relations  to  each  other  as 


18  FIRST   DAYS   WITH   THE   CONTRABANDS 

social  beings,  and  all  that  is  necessary  to  render  them  competent 
to  sustain  themselves  in  social  and  business  pursuits. 

*'  For  an  efficient  and  complete  organization  of  this  system  there 
will  be  appointed  two  general  agents,  one  to  have  a  general  super- 
intendence over  the  administrative  or  agricultural  agents,  the 
other  over  the  educational  department. 

^^  As  the  blacks  are  now  in  great  need  of  suitable  clothing,  if 
not  other  necessaries  of  life,  which  necessity  will  probably  continue 
and  even  increase,  until  the  above  system  gets  into  working  order, 
the  benevolent  and  philanthropic  of  the  land  are  most  earnestly 
appealed  to  for  assistance  in  relieving  their  immediate  wants. 
Never  was  there  a  nobler  or  more  fitting  opportunity  for  the  oper- 
ation of  that  considerate  and  practical  benevolence  for  which  the 
Northern  people  have  ever  been  distinguished." 

This  is  what  first  took  me  within  the  lines.  "  Never 
was  there  a  nobler  or  more  fitting  opportunity,"  said 
General  Sherman.  This  seemed  like  a  divine  call. 
"  Opportunities  are  God's  Providence."  This  was 
our  opportunity ;  the  way  was  opened,  and  we  entered 
in,  not  as  an  enemy,  but  as  friends  to  humanity. 

Formation  of  Fi^eedmarC s  Aid  Societies. 

The  news  of  General  Sherman's  order  flew  to 
every  corner  of  the  North.  Intense  zeal  and  enthu- 
siasm for  this  new  field  of  labor  and  for  those  poor 
wards  of  government  were  aroused.  Many  persons 
hitherto  indifferent  to  the  anti-slavery  cause  were 
aroused  by  deepest  pity  for  those  suffering  human 
beings,  whether  regarded  as  ''  chattels,"  ''  abandoned 
slaves,"  "contrabands  of  war,"  or  "freed  people." 
A  crowd  of  noble  men  and  women  were  eager  to 
enroll  themselves  as  superintendents,  teachers,  and 
assistants. 


EXPEDITION   TO   PCfeT   KOYAL  19 

The  Educational  Commission  of  Boston,  also  known 
as  Freedman's  Aid  Society,  and  The  National  Freed- 
man's  Relief  Committee  of  New  York,  were  organized 
at  once,  and  began  a  work  of  untold  usefulness; 
branch  societies  and  auxiliaries  were  formed  in  most 
of  the  towns  in  New  England ;  freedman's  aid  socie- 
ties were  started  in  churches  of  all  denominations. 
Members  of  families  and  neighbors  joined  themselves 
into  independent  clubs,  —  all  to  help  on  this  great 
work  amongst  the  negroes. 

A  Peaceful  Expedition  to  Port  Royal.  —  Departure 

of  Missionaries. 

March  3,  1862,  Mr.  Edward  L.  Pierce  of  Boston, 
government  agent  in  charge  of  plantations  and  con- 
trabands at  Port  Royal,  S.C,  sailed  from  New  York 
with  about  sixty  persons,  fifteen  of  whom  were  ladies. 
Of  these,  twenty-seven  gentlemen  and  four  ladies 
were  from  Boston  ;  twenty-one  gentlemen  and  seven 
ladies  from  New  York,  and  three  ladies  from  Wash- 
ington and  Philadelphia.  To  this  band  belongs  the 
proud  distinction  of  inaugurating  this  noble  work. 
Their  departure  was  heralded  as  '-'-  The  first  mission- 
ary expedition  to  propagate  industry,  religion,  and 
education  among  the  contrabands  at  Hilton  Head, 
as  well  as  to  encourage  agriculture  and  like  useful 
measures."  In  this  band  were  persons  from  diverse 
positions  in  life  and  with  varied  experiences,  —  me- 
chanics, teachers,  business  and  professional  men. 
Most  of  these  were  volunteers,  who  went  forth  as  to 


20  FIKST  DAYS   WITH   THE  CONTRABANDS 

a  holy  mission,  ready  to  do  hard  work  with  the 
strength  and  spirit  of  the  martyrs  of  olden  times.  A 
few  received  compensation  for  their  labors  from  the 
New  York  or  Boston  associations.  All  were  required 
to  take  the  oath  of  allegiance  to  the  United  States 
Government  before  going  on  board  the  steamer. 
Each  person  had  a  commission  from  one  of  the  socie- 
ties, which  authorized  him  to  engage  in  some  branch 
of  this  work,  and  each  man  was  required  to  take  oath 
that  he  would  ''  fight  for  his  country  "  if  occasion  re- 
quired. The  men  went  as  superintendents,  to  take 
charge  of  the  abandoned  plantations,  and  of  the 
labors  of  the  negroes,  and  the  women  were  to  estab- 
lish industrial  schools.  All  were  pledged  to  look 
out  for  the  comfort  and  well-being  of  these  poor 
ignorant  contrabands. 

From  this  time,  throughout  the  entire  North,  there 
was  a  constantly  increasing  interest  in  this  work.  A 
great  number  of  men  and  women,  old  and  young, 
flocked  to  the  societies,  eager  to  be  enrolled  as 
laborers  in  this  new  field  —  very  many  more  than 
there  were  places  for.  Indeed,  it  seemed  sometimes, 
if  "  transportation  "  and  "  subsistence  "  could  be  se- 
cured for  so  many,  there  might  be  a  special  superin- 
tendent and  teacher  for  each  colored  family  already 
emancipated.  At  first  it  was  exceedingly  difficult  to 
get  transportation  papers ;  and  a  permit  to  enter  the 
military  department  was  a  privilege  accorded  to  but 
few  of  the  great  army  of  applicants.  Subsistence 
was  a  matter  of  profound  faith  to  these  pioneers. 
They  believed  they  should  find  food  and  shelter,  and 


EXPEDITIOK  TO   PORT   ROYAL  21 

be  taken  care  of  like  the  birds  of  the  air,  and  they 
were.  Neither  government  nor  societies  could  do 
more  than  open  the  way,  and  those  that  entered 
therein  must  literally  gird  on  their  armor,  and  go  on 
with  brave  hearts  anci  determined  wills.  Happy  for 
all  if  to  these  were  added  earnestness  and  steadiness 
of  purpose,  and  enthusiasm  for  the  work,  with  a 
sympathy  and  pity  for  the  past  of  the  negroes,  and 
faith  in  their  future. 

One  of  the  volunteer  teachers,  wife  of  an  officer 
in  the  First  S.  C.  C.  R.,  wrote  of  her  experience  in 
teaching.     She  dated  from  Mills  Plantation. 

**  My  school  is  constantly  deranged  by  the  changes  of  the  camps, 
and  the  attendance  interrupted  by  the  duties  of  picket  guard. 
By  far  the  most  interest  and  best  progress  are  shown  by  the  boys, 
who  are  not  often  called  away  from  the  school. 

**  I  asked  one  day,  '  Who  is  President  of  the  United  States  ? ' 

*^  They  all  agreed  it  was  '  Uncle  Sam.' 

'*  One  scholar,  who  proved  not  to  know  one  letter  from  another, 
said,  *  I  lam  a  little  in  Secesh,  but  kum  away  'fore  I  finish  my 
edecation.' 

*'  His  zeal  in  travelling  one  hundred  miles  at  night,  and  risking 
his  life  at  every  step,  to  get  to  freedom,  is  shown  in  his  school 
duties. 

**  I  am  provided  with  a  government  tent,  which  my  scholars 
have  floored  with  pine  sprays  and  surrounded  with  rough  pine 
branches,  and  I  find  it  as*  comfortable  and  pleasant  as  any  school- 
room can  be. 

""  Many  of  my  old  scholars  are  at  present  beyond  reach,  being 
on  guard  duty,  etc.  They  often  express  a  wish  to  me  to  be  taught, 
and  I  find  them  with  books  in  hand,  making  the  best  use  of  the 
little  knowledge  they  have  acquired." 


22  FIRST  DAYS   WITH   THE  CONTRABANDS 


III 

HOW    I    ENTERED    THE  LINES 

Trip  071  Grovernment  Steamer  Arago. 

Oct.  25,  1864,  I  received  the  following  commu- 
nication :  — 

**  You  are  hereby  appointed  by  the  New  England  Freedman's 
Aid  Society  a  teacher  of  freed  people  at  Beaufort,  S.C' 

.  Armed  with  this  commission,  which  entitled  me  to 
serve  my  country  in  the  small  army  of  teachers, 
sometimes  lightly  spoken  of  as  ''  Gideon's  Band," 
and  with  the  proper  transportation  papers,  I  reported 
myself  on  the  28th  at  the  quartermaster's  office  in 
New  York.  Fortunately  my  papers  had  been  sent 
me  direct  from  General  Rufus  Saxton,  then  military 
commander  and  governor  of  South  Carolina,  Georgia, 
and  Florida. 

My  passport  was  duly  vised,  and  I  was  advised  to 
get  on  board  the  steamer  the  next  morning  as  early 
as  possible.  Therefore,  by  eight  o'clock,  accompa- 
nied by  several  friends  who  promised  to  see  me  off, 
I  started  for  the  government  steamer  Arago,  which 
was  to  sail  at  noon.  Notwithstanding  the  early  hour, 
it  was  almost  impossible  to  reach  the  boat.  Carts, 
carriages,  and  piles  of  military  supplies  blocked  the 


TRIP   ON   STEAMER   ARAGO  23 

way,  whilst  squads  of  soldiers,  with  bands  of  music, 
surrounded  us  on  all  sides.  At  length,  after  much 
jostling  and  pushing,  and  many  delays  as  we  were 
borne  along  by  the  crowd,  we  landed  at  the  foot  of 
the  gangway.  There  we  were  suddenly  ordered  to 
'^  Halt."  Two  swords  were  crossed  in  front  of  me,  as 
I  was  ahead.  The  way  was  stopped,  and  the  word 
"  Pass  !  "  was  screamed  into  my  ears.  Immediately 
one  of  my  friends  thrust  the  passport  into  my  hands, 
which  as  I  held  it  up  was  hastily  scrutinized  by  the 
officer  in  command.  Soldiers  with  glittering  bayo- 
nets stood  on  all  sides  of  us.  The  two  swords  were 
raised  enough  for  me  to  go  under,  and  I  was  motioned 
forward.  They  were  immediately  dropped  behind 
me,  and  my  friends  were  ordered  back.  Words  were 
of  no  avail,  so  they  reached  over  the  barrier  and  piled 
bags,  bundles,  and  books  onto  my  already  over- 
loaded arms,  whilst  vainly  trying  to  gesticulate 
directions  and  a  "good-by."  One  "last,  lingering 
look  "  behind,  and  I  found  myself  alone,  marching  up 
the  plank  between  a  double  file  of  soldiers,  feeling 
very  much  as  if  I  were  a  deserter  from  the  ranks, 
or  a  spy,  or  military  prisoner  destitute  of  patriotism 
and  bereft  of  courage. 

Arrived  on  deck,  I  was  left  to  myself.  My  escort. 
Major  Saxton,  who  was  returning  to  his  post  with  his 
wife  and  baby  boy,  had  not  yet  arrived,  and  for 
a  long  time  I  was  the  only  passenger  to  be  seen. 
There  was  not  another  woman  yet  on  board  —  only 
soldiers  and  officers  hurrying  to  and  fro,  gesticulat- 
ing and  shouting  unintelligible   orders.     I  tried  in 


24  FIKST   DAYS   WITH   THE  CONTRABANDS 

vain  to  go  below.  This  could  not  be  allowed  until 
the  "ranking  officer"  came  on  board  and  the  military 
were  furnished  with  quarters.  Civilians,  and  espe- 
cially "  females,"  were  regarded  without  favor.  For- 
tunately, by  the  suggestion  of  a  friend,  I  had  provided 
myself  with  the  inevitable  camp-stool,  which  now 
came  into  good  use,  and  for  a  long  time  after  did 
excellent  service.  Getting  close  to  the  side  of  the 
vessel,  to  be  out  of  the  way,  and  to  avoid  observa- 
tion, I  watched  the  progress  of  affairs  for  the  next 
three  hours.  In  the  course  of  the  morning  several 
women  arrived ;  officers'  wives,  teachers,  and  a  few 
belonging  to  the  families  of  merchants  and  specula- 
tors. Not  one  of  them  could  get  transportation  and 
a  passport  through  the  lines  without  first  having 
a  teacher's  commission  and  pledging  herself  to  aid 
in  the  work  of  education.  At  that  time  army  regu- 
lations were  very  strict,  as  some  mischievous  and 
traitorous  women  had  already  succeeded  in  getting 
into  the  military  departments. 

In  due  time  my  friends  came  on  board,  after  which 
all  arrangements  were  most  happily  made  for  me. 
Our  "passports"  only  entitled  us  to  "transporta- 
tion." Staterooms  and  "  subsistence  "  were  to  be  se- 
cured after  we  sailed,  and,  as  the  military  were  served 
in  the  order  of  their  rank,  of  course  teachers  had  the 
fag-ends  of  everything.  In  some  instances  the  poor 
accommodations  they  did  get  were  accorded  most 
grudgingly.  All  these  arrangements  were  under  the 
care  of  the  purser  and  steward,  over  whom  the  cap- 
tain had  apparently  little  or  no  real  authority.     An 


TRIP   ON   STEAMER   ARAGO  25 

unprotected  woman  without  a  military  friend  on  one 
of  these  government  boats  had  a  hard  time,  being 
often  rudely  treated,  or  entirely  neglected,  by  these 
servants.  The  Arago  was  a  noble  exception  and  a 
good  boat.  All  the  arrangements  were  as  complete 
as  it  was  possible  to  make  them.  But  I  watched 
with  dismay  the  fruitless  effort  of  some  women  to 
get  a  quiet  corner  for  rest. 

At  last,  just  as  the  city  bells  began  to  ring  out 
twelve  o'clock,  we  weighed  anchor,  and  slowly  began 
to  drop  down  the  harbor,  amidst  the  roaring  of  can- 
non, screeching  of  the  whistle,  and  shouting  of  the 
crowd  on  shore.  Hurry,  bustle,  and  confusion  every- 
where !  Some  persons  were  late  and  were  pulled 
aboard  after  the  plank  was  taken  in.  Their  boxes, 
bundles,  and^  valises  were  recklessly  thrown  after 
them.  As  long  as  we  could  see  and  hear  anything 
the  crowd  on  shore  waved  and  hurrahed  to  us.  How 
quickly  the  old  life  ended,  and  our  new  life  began ! 
Whilst  the  booming  of  the  guns  still  rang  in  our 
ears,  the  purser  began  to  place  us  "  according  to  rank 
and  station." 

It  is  pleasant  to  recall  these  days  of  my  ''first  ex- 
pedition." Before  we  were  fairly  out  to  sea,  the 
quiet  and  order  of  a  well-regulated  family  was  estab- 
lished. People  soon  ceased  to  be  strangers  to  each 
other.  A  common  cause  made  all  friends.  At  table 
we  were  placed  like  guests  at  a  private  party.  Around 
us  were  officers  and  their  wives  who  "  had  been 
doTfn  "  before,  and  who  had  many  interesting  stories 
of  camp-life  to  tell.     At  my  right  were  my  friends. 


26  FIRST  DAYS   WITH   THE   CONTRABANDS 

Major  Saxton  and  his  wife ;  on  my  left,  a  young  sur- 
geon in  a  New  York  regiment.  Our  vis-a-vis  were 
good  Dr.  Marsh  (chief  of  the  Sanitary  Commission 
in  Beaufort),  and  his  wife  ;  and  the  post  surgeon, 
Dr.  Durant  and  Mrs.  Durant.  A  little  beyond  were 
Mr.  D.  C.  Wilson  of  the  Quartermaster's  Department, 
with  his  family.  He  had  been  with  General  Saxton 
on  the  first  expedition  to  Hilton  Head,  and  when  he 
first  entered  Beaufort.  What  stories  were  told  of 
camp-life  and  military  experiences,  full  of  pathos  and 
tenderness,  intermingled  with  ludicrous  adventures. 
They  come  back  to  me  now  like  the  stories  of  Alad- 
din, or  tales  of  the  Crusades. 

Half  the  boat  was  crowded  with  soldiers,  and  of 
course  there  was  much  speculation  as  to  their  desti- 
nation. The  ranking  officer  was  non-cpmmittal.  It 
was  said  that  we  were  sailing  ''  under  sealed  orders," 
and  that  there  were  "  twenty-five  thousand  stand  of 
arms  marked  'Nowhere,'  "  on  board ;  that  the  captain 
himself  did  not  know  his  destination,  and  would  not 
get  directions  until  we  reached  Fortress  Monroe. 
Some  persons  thought  that  the  steamer  might  be 
ordered  back  to  New  York,  and  others  predicted  we 
should  be  taken  to  New  Orleans  before  we  landed. 
It  was  whispered  on  desk  that  we  had  prisoners  who 
were  below,  to  be  exchanged,  and  our  kindly  sympa- 
thies were  greatly  aroused  and  much  curiosity  excited. 
There  were  those  around  us  who  looked  wise,  but  said 
nothing,  and  the  rest  of  us  were  left  entirely  in  the 
dark.  So,  watching,  waiting,  and  speculating  upon 
coming  events,  the   time   passed   until  we   reached 


TEIP   OK   STEAMEK  ARAGO  27 

Fortress  Monroe.  Here  a  large  fleet  was  awaiting 
orders.  We  were  told  our  steamer  brought  these 
orders,  and  again  there  was  much  excitement  and 
expectation. 

It  was  just  sunset,  the  second  day  out,  when  we 
anchored  in  Hampton  Roads.  For  a  long  time  we 
stood  by  the  side  of  the  vessel  watching  the  small 
boats,  loaded  with  men,  going  to  and  from  the  land. 
Whether  friends  or  foes  we  could  not  tell ;  it  was  too 
dark  to  distinguish  anything.  We  could  only  hear 
the  plashing  of  the  oars,  the  scraping  of  the  boat  on 
the  sands,  and  the  sounds  of  suppressed  voices,  with 
occasional  quick  commands.  All  we  could  know 
was,  that  a  large  number  of  men  were  taken  off,  and 
others  brought  back,  and  it  was  whispered  around 
that  these  were  the  prisoners  to  be  exchanged.  The 
calm  sea  and  clear  sky,  contrasting  with  the  excite- 
ment around  us,  made  the  night  seem  doubly  tranquil. 
This  unceasing  activity  amidst  the  darkness  reminded 
us  of  the  uncertain  future  to  which  all  were  hasten- 
ing ;  and  the  regular  ringing  of  the  half-hour  bells 
seemed  like  the  knell  of  departing  time. 

All  the  evening  and  well  into  the  night  we  listened 
to  the  stories  of  the  officers  returning  to  their  posts 
of  duty.  Mr.  Wilson  told  us  that  on  this  same  day, 
two  years  before,  he  sailed  from  Fortress  Monroe 
with  the  great  Southern  Expedition,  a  fleet  of  nearly 
fifty  vessels.  He  gave  an  animated  account  of  the 
incidents  of  that  expedition  ;  of  the  entrance  to  Port 
Royal  Harbor  and  the  taking  of  Beaufort. 

"  Why  the  Union  forces  did  not  take  possession  of 


28  FIRST  DAYS   WITH   THE   CONTRABANDS 

Port  Royal  Island  until  Dec.  5,  1861.  So  our  troops 
did  not  fairly  get  to  Beaufort  until  the  8th.  It  was 
something  to  see  the  town  then.  There  Avas  but  one 
white  man  in  it,  and  he  was  too  drunk  to  leave ;  I  be- 
lieve he  afterwards  declared  he  feigned  intoxication, 
not  wishing  to  go  away.  He  was  a  poor  fellow  any 
way.  In  November,  1861,  our  troops  took  Hilton 
Head,  the  place  where  this  steamer  is  to  land.  Many 
curious  and  touching  things  happened  at  that  time. 

"  General  Drayton,  who  biiilded  and  commanded 
the  fort  there,  had  a  brother  who  was  captain  in  our 
army.  He  was  the  only  one  of  the  family  w^ho  was 
for  the  Union,  and  he  was  ''  true  blue."  When  he 
went  on  board  the  Rebel  flag-ship,  some  of  the  ne- 
groes belonging  to  his  brother  recognized  him,  and 
were  wild  with  joy  to  see  him ;  I  believe  they  consid- 
ered him  the  very  personification  of  Liberty.  You 
ask  how  the  negroes  appeared  at  this  time?  They 
were  dazed.  Some  were  greatly  excited,  and  others 
were  terribly  depressed.  The  superior  officers,  of 
whom  General  Drayton  was  one,  reported  that  there 
was  no  insurrectionary  feeling  among  the  negroes. 
They  had  shown  no  disposition  for  revenge  or  vio- 
lence. No  acts  of  pillaging  or  incendiarism  were  re- 
ported at  that  time,  which  seems  very  remarkable 
under  all  circumstances.  Some  of  the  negroes  refused 
to  go  up  country  when  ordered  off  by  their  owners, 
which  was  considered  unparalleled  insubordination. 
The  poor  creatures  were  unsettled  enough  as  they 
were,  and  they  preferred  to  remain  in  the  old  familiar 
places.    Who  can  wonder  at  this  ?    A  great  many  hid 


TRIP   ON   STEAMER   ARAGO  29 

away,  but  when  they  recovered  from  their  fright,  they 
came  from  their  hiding-places,  and  went  to  work  in 
the  fields.  They  had  no  overseer  or  driver,  but  chose 
one  of  the  head  men  to  direct  and  advise  them. 

"  When  our  troops  took  Hilton  Head  Island  the 
fields  were  white  with  cotton  ready  to  be  picked.  It 
was  a  beautiful  sight,  and  novel  to  most  of  our  men. 
You  must  read  the  reports  of  the  capture  of  Fort 
Walker  and  Fort  Beauregard.  Some  parts  read  like 
a  romance. 

"  Fort  Walker  was  on  Hilton  Head,  and  Fort  Beau- 
regard was  on  Bay  Point.  The  extreme  points  of 
these  two  islands  form  the  entrance  to  Port  Royal 
Sound,  which  is  about  three  miles  wide.  This  sound 
is  a  wonderful  harbor,  where  many  of  our  gunboats 
are  now  lying. 

"  You  will  not  be  South  long  before  you  will  hear 
about  the  advantages  of  Port  Royal  Harbor,  for  the 
officers  and  soldiers  are  very  much  impressed  by  it. 
They  say  it  will  take  in  the  navies  of  the  world.  It 
is  in  the  heart  of  South  Carolina,  and  is  only  twenty 
miles  from  Savannah,  and  thirty  from  Charleston. 

"When  our  men  landed  on  Hilton  Head,  the  ne- 
groes guided  them  to  the  Rebel  officers'  headquarters, 
which  was  on  the  Pope  Plantation.  Here  they  found 
a  very  fine  library.  There  were,  besides  the  books, 
complete  files  of  old  papers,  some  dating  as  far  back 
as  1812.  Hard,  wasn't  it,  to  have  all  these  things 
destroyed?  " 

These  stories  seemed  to  us,  in  our  novel  position, 
,like  leaves  f  rora  history  and  romance.    Unwritten  his- 


30  FIEST   DAYS   WITH   THE   CONTRABANDS 

toiy  they  certainly  were.  Listening,  I  realized  more 
fully  than  ever  before  what  struggles,  feats  of  courage, 
and  hours  of  endurance,  had  opened  the  way  for  us, 
and  made  possible  our  present  peaceful  expedition. 

Taking  the  Oath  of  Allegiance. 

At  Hilton  Head  we  were  obliged  to  go  to  the  pro- 
vost-marshal's office,  and  take  the  ''Oath  of  Alle- 
giance "  ''  to  the  best  government  in  the  world." 

This  oath,  which  was  read  to  us,  and  which  we 
half  audibly  repeated,  was  very  impressive. 

*'I  do  solemnly  swear  that  I  will  support,  protect,  and  defend 
the  Constitution  and  Government  of  the  United  States  against  all 
enemies,  whether  domestic  or  foreign  ;  that  I  will  bear  true  and 
faithful  allegiance,  resolution  or  law  of  any  State  convention  to 
the  contrary  notwithstanding.  And  further,  that  I  do  this  with  a 
full  determination  and  pledge  to  perform  it  without  any  mental 
reservation  whatever  ;  and  further,  that  I  will  faithfully  perform 
all  the  duties  which  may  be  required  of  me  by  law.  So  help 
me  God.'' 

As  I  held  up  my  right  hand  and  took  the  oath,  I 
felt  that  I  now  belonged  entirely  to  my  country,  to 
labor  for  that  country's  good.  Our  examination,  if 
not  overstrict,  was  a  little  amusing.  We  were  closely 
scrutinized  by  the  officer,  who  was  hurriedly  writing 
at  his  desk.  "  What  name,  please  ?  "  and  "  What  age 
shall  I  put  down  ?  "  with  a  conciliatory  smile.  Dr. 
Durant  patiently  stood  by  and  answered  for  us  when 
he  could ;  but  the  nearest  of  our  friends  would  never 
have  recognized  any  of  us  by  the  descriptions  given 
in  our  permits.    Having  again  raised  my  hand, ''  swear- 


TAKING   THE   OATH   OF   ALLEGIANCE  31 

ing,"  I  would  ''give  no  aid  nor  information,"  etc.,  to 
the  enemy,  I  received  my  papers,  and  found  myself  set 
down  as  ''Mrs.  Butters,"  and  described  as  "a  tall 
lady  with  black  hair  and  black  eyes,"  etc.  As  not 
one  of  our  number  answered  to  this  description  in 
any  way,  we  decided  our  young  officer  had  drawn 
largely  upon  his  imagination.  Mrs.  Wilson,  who  stood 
by  my  side,  was  very  fair  and  delicate,  and  no  taller 
than  I. 

After  this  we  left  the  Arago  and  were  transferred 
to  a  smaller  boat  bound  for  Beaufort,  which  was  sent 
down  for  the  officers  belonging  to  General  Saxton's 
command.  In  due  time  we  steamed  up  the  river, 
past  the  forts.  Bay  Point,  and  the  gunboats  lying  in 
Port  Royal  Harbor,  —  which  General  Sherman  calls 
"  the  finest  harbor  that  exists  on  the  coast  south 
of  Hatteras,"  —  and  landed  at  the  wharf  in  Beaufort. 
A  curious  crowd  of  white  men  and  negroes  stood 
around  waiting  for  our  boat  to  come  up.  Here  we 
were  welcomed  by  General  Saxton  and  his  staff; 
and  in  spite  of  the  turmoil  and  confusion  around  us, 
and  the  insignia  of  war,  we  ceased  to  feel  like  strangers 
in  a  strange  land.  There  were  soldiers  everywhere, 
"saluting"  the  general  as  we  passed.  Not  a  white 
woman  to  be  seen,  excepting  some  officers'  wives 
and  a  few  teachers  expecting  friends,  and  who  only 
appeared  in  public  under  good  escort. 

Negroes,  negroes,  negroes.  They  hovered  around 
like  bees  in  a  swarm.  Sitting,  standing,  or  lying 
at  full-length,  with  their  faces  turned  to  the  sky. 
Every  doorstep,    box,   or   barrel  was   covered   with 


32  FIRST   DAYS   WITH   THE   CONTRABANDS 

them,  for  the  arrival  of  a  boat  was  a  time  of  great 
excitement.  They  were  dressed  —  no,  not  dressed, 
nor  clothed,  but  partly  covered  with  every  conceiv- 
able thing  which  could  be  put  on  the  back  of  a 
biped.  Some  of  the  women  had  on  old,  cast-off  sol- 
diers' coats,  with  "  crocus  bags,"  fastened  together 
with  their  own  ravellings,  for  skirts,  and  bits  of  sail- 
cloth for  head-handkerchiefs.  Many  of  the  men  had 
strips  of  gay  carpeting,  or  old  bags,  or  pieces  of 
blanket,  in  which  they  cut  arm-holes  and  wore  as 
jackets.  Their  pants  were  tied  below  and  above 
the  knees  and  around  the  waist  with  pieces  of  rope 
to  keep  them  on.  Words  fail  to  describe  their  gro- 
tesque appearance.  Fortunately  they  were  oblivious 
to  all  this  incongruity.  They  had  not  yet  attained 
distinct  personality;  they  were  only  parts  of  a 
whole ;  once  "  massa's  niggers,"  now  refugees  and 
contrabands.  So  all  looked  up  with  a  smile,  and 
put  their  hands  to  their  foreheads  in  military  fash- 
ion, with  a  "  How  d'ye,  gineral  ?  How  d'ye,  missis  ?  " 
as  we  passed  along. 

I  was  to  be  a  guest  at  General  Saxton's  head- 
quarters, so  we  went  directly  there.  This  w^as  a 
large  and  fine  private  residence,  formerly  the  prop- 
erty of  a  wealthy  Southerner,  now  called  ''  Secesh." 
At  the  large  gate  was  a  sentinel's  box,  before  which 
stood  a  black  sentinel,  who  gave  us  the  military 
salute  as  we  passed  through.  At  the  top  of  the 
high  steps  we  were  received  by  two  black  orderlies, 
who  escorted  us  to  the  family  rooms.  All  the 
lower   part  of   the   great  house  w^s   used   for  mili- 


STAY  IN  BEAUFORT  33 

tary  purposes.  It  was  camp-life  within  doors.  All 
night  long  I  was  aroused  by  the  sentinel  tramping 
under  my  window,  calling  out  the  hours  with  the 
voice  of  a  stentor.  "•  Twelve  o'clock,  and  all  is 
well,"  or,  "  One  o'clock,  and  all  is  well,"  giving  rhyth- 
mical cadence  to  each  word.  Now  and  then  he 
would  bring  his  gun  to  the  ground  with  a  sharp  clang, 
and  call  out,  ''Who  comes  there?"  After  which 
the  unceasing  tramp,  tramp,  tramp,  would  begin 
again.  Soon  I  ceased  to  be  a  stranger ;  I  began  to 
feel  great  security  as  I  listened  to  this  steady  march 
and  monotonous  call.  I  had  a  sense  of  watchful- 
ness and  protection  never  experienced  before. 

Stay  in  Beaufort. 

I  had  heard  of  the  wonderful  climate  of  the  sea- 
islands.  I  was  told  it  was  almost  perpetual  sun- 
shine there,  as  a  rain-storm  rarely  lasted  more  than 
twelve  hours.  But  it  rained  three  days  constantly 
after  my  arrival.  During  that  time  I  had  opportu- 
nity to  learn  something  of  military  life. 

The  town  of  Beaufort  was  filled  to  overflowing 
with  ex-slaves,  or  freed  people,  who  were  always 
spoken  of  as  "  contrabands."  They  had  flocked  here 
from  every  direction,  —  from  the  plantations  not 
far  away;  from  ''up  country"  and  "down  South." 
Every  boat  that  came  in  from  any  direction  brought 
a  cargo  of  fugitives. 

When  Beaufort  was  taken,  Ofiicer  Dupont  re- 
ported, — 


84  FIRST   DAYS   WITH   THE   CONTRABANDS 

**The  inhabitants  have  fled,  and  the  town  is  abandoned  to 
the  negroes,  who  are  reported  to  me  to  be  in  a  lawless  condi- 
tion. .  .  .  They  were  wild  with  joy  and  revenge.  .  .  .  They  have 
been  shot  down,  they  say,  like  dogs,  because  they  would  not  go 
off  with  their  masters.  .  .  .  The  Confederates  were  in  an  utter 
panic  ;  they  deserted  everything. '^ 

This  was  when  the  Union  gunboats  reached  the 
town  after  taking  Hilton  Head. 

Captain  Rogers  also  reported  at  this  time :  — 

^'Beaufort  has  been  taken  by  the  gunboats,  the  town  having 
been  abandoned  by  the  whites.  The  negroes  were  pillaging  the 
town.  They  said  the  whites  were  shooting  them  right  and  left,  in 
order  to  drive  them  back  into  the  interior." 

Some  people  who  came  off  in  a  boat  to  the  Seneca, 
said,  "  One  man  shot  six  of  the  negroes."  There 
were  those  in  town  who  bore  the  marks  of  the  cruel 
treatment  they  had  received,  and  who  spoke  with 
horror  and  with  hatred  of  the  burning  of  their  houses 
and  the  killing  of  the  slaves. 

The  first  Sunday  after  my  arrival  we  went  to 
the  camp-ground,  and  heard  Chaplain  Lynch,  a  col- 
ored man,  preach  to  the  soldiers.  The  brigade  was 
drawn  up  in  line  in  front  of  General  Saxton  and  his 
staff,  whilst  hundreds  of  contrabands  were  hovering 
around,  —  a  mottled  and  grotesque  background  to 
the  bright  military  display.  As  I  stood  upon  the 
platform  and  looked  down  upon  this  crowd  of  black 
faces,  I  was  thrilled  with  astonishment  at  their  in- 
tense earnestness.  They  were  huddled  together  as 
close  as  possible,  quiet  and  subdued,  but  not  dejected. 
All  eyes  were  fixed  upon  the  speaker  with  great  so- 


OLD  FORT   PLANTATION  36 

lemnity.     I  began  then  to  realize  the  importance  of 
the  duties  we  owed  to  the  poor,  ignorant  ex-slayes. 

These  were  the  people  I  had  come  to  teach  and  to 
help.  I  had  left  all  behind  for  their  sakes,  and  I  was 
impatient  to  begin.  Each  hour  showed  me,  too,  that 
at  the  North  we  had  but  a  faint  conception  of  the 
work  to  be  done. 

Old  Fort  Plantation, 

I  found  my  location  was  to  be  at  Old  Fort  Planta- 
tion, a  place  of  historic  renown  and  great  beauty.  A 
large  number  of  colored  refugees  had  been  brought 
here.  These  were  part  of  the  eight  hundred  brought 
off  by  General  Montgomery  on  his  raid  to  Combahee, 
—  as  poor  and  destitute  a  class  of  human  beings  as 
could  possibly  be  found,  for  whom  my  sympathies 
had  already  been  strongly  aroused.  Dr.  Marsh  had 
warned  me  against  these  people,  assuring  me  "the 
slaves  on  the  rice-plantations  were  the  most  degraded 
of  the  race."  And  he  considered  them  "  the  connect- 
ing link  "  between  human  beings  and  the  brute  crea- 
tion. As  this  was  purely  a  missionary  work,  these 
were  the  people  I  wished  to  come  in  contact  with.  I 
wanted  to  learn  what  could  be  done  with  the  lowest 
of  God's  creatures.  My  subsequent  experiences  in 
teaching  the  freed  people  proved  that  the  good  doctor 
was  wrong  in  his  estimate  of  their  character  and  con- 
dition. I  found  those  from  the  mainland  more  intel- 
ligent and  better  bred  than  the  mass  of  those  from 
the  islands. 

Sunday  afternoon  I  drove  in  an  ambulance  down 


36  FIKST   DAYS   WITH   THE   CONTRABANDS 

to  the  old  plantation.  My  road  lay  along  the  river- 
bank,  which  was  thickly  bordered  by  large  oaks  and 
tall  pine-trees.  We  passed  through  one  or  two  plan- 
tations abandoned  to  the  negroes,  and  past  the  con- 
traband village,  a  collection  of  low  buildings  called 
by  the  people  themselves,  "  Mon'gomery  Hill." 
Why  a  ''hill ''  I  could  never  learn,  as  there  was  not 
the  slightest  perceptible  elevation.  All  the  people, 
men,  women,  and  children,  came  out  to  greet  us,  with 
bows,  scrapings  of  the  feet,  courtesies,  and  a  general 
shouting  of  "-  How  d'ye?  missis  ?  "  "  How  d'ye  ?  " 
"  Us  glad  to  see  you'n'a  !  "  "  How's  all  de  folks 
when  you  lef '  'em  ?  "  This  last  inquiry  they  consider 
a  special  mark  of  respect,  and  one  they  never  forget." 

The  plantation  house  at  which  we  stopped,  and 
which  was  to  be  my  future  home,  was  one  of  the  old- 
est on  the  island.  It  was  a  low,  two-storied  mansion, 
built  in  a  wonderful  grove  of  live-oaks  and  water- 
oaks,  which  covered  an  area  of  sixty  acres.  All  these 
trees  are  heavily  draped  with  the  long  gray  moss, 
which  is  never  found  in  greater  luxuriance  than  on 
and  around  the  sea-islands. 

It  hung  dank  and  heavy  from  the  recent  rains ;  and 
as  we  entered  the  grove,  this  bright  summer  after- 
noon, the  place  seemed  like  a  solemn,  grand  old 
cathedral. 

The  house  contained  nine  small  rooms.  The  out- 
side door  opened  into  a  medium  sized  apartment, 
which  was  called  "  the  Hall,"  but  had  always  been 
used  as  parlor  and  dining-room.  Out  of  this  opened 
a  butler's  pantry  and  buttery,  which  enclosed  one  end 


OLD  FORT   PLANTATION  37 

of  the  open  piazza.  At  the  other  was  an  office  or 
waiting-room.  There  was  adjoining  this  a  small 
room  which  the  servants  designated  as  "drawing- 
room."  A  door  opened  from  this  room  directly  upon 
a  narrow  front  piazza,  from  which  there  was  a  pleas- 
ant view  of  the  broad  river  and  of  the  islands  beyond. 

A  narrow  flight  of  winding  stairs  led  up  outside 
from  the  back  piazza  to  a  small  square  entry,  from 
which  four  doors  opened  into  the  bedrooms.  The 
kitchen  and  laundry  and  servants'  rooms  were  in  sep- 
arate buildings.  A  row  of  these  houses  faced  the 
back  entrance.  Not  far  away,  and  in  plain  sight,  were 
the  "  negro  quarters,"  a  row  of  small  houses  placed, 
diagonally,  where  the  "  field-hands  "  lived. 

In  front  of  the  house  was  an  avenue  of  magnolias 
leading  to  the  river,  which  was  bordered  with  a  thick 
hedge  of  ''Spanish  daggers,"  or ''bayonets,"  —  the 
Yucca  filamentosa. 

When  the  war  broke  out  this  place  was  mentioned 
as  "  Smith's  Plantation,"  taking  its  name  from  the 
old  owner.  On  one  of  the  posts  of  the  front  piazza 
was  found  some  writing,  supposed  to  be  by  the  for- 
mer owner.  It  said  for  more  than  forty  years  he  had 
moved  from  this  place  to  his  house  in  town  and  back 
again,  making  the  change  over  eighty  times,  and  he 
devoutly  thanked  God  for  all  the  blessings  he  had 
received. 

It  seemed  indescribably  pathetic  to  me,  thus  to 
walk  into  a  stranger's  house  and  take  quiet  posses- 
sion. There  was  nothing  within  to  remind  one  of 
the   original   owner.     It  was  only  when   I   walked 


38  FIRST   DAYS   WITH   THE   CONTRABANDS 

around  and  saw  the  carefully  arranged  grounds,  with 
fine  shrubs  and  vines  and  gravelled  walks  bordered 
with  flowers,  that  I  realized  what  the  place  had  been. 
In  spite  of  years  of  neglect,  —  for  it  was  first  left  to 
the  care  of  the  negroes,  and  then  taken  by  the 
Union  troops  and  used  for  soldiers'  barracks  and  hos- 
pitals —  in  spite  of  all  this,  there  was  much  beauty 
left.  As  I  walked  around,  I  was  more  and  more 
overwhelmed  by  a  realization  of  the  cruel  necessities 
of  a  civil  war. 

Old  Fort. 

The  old  fort  which  gave  its  name  to  this  planta- 
tion was  built  in  1562.  Parts  of  it  are  still  standing, 
showing  the  spot  where  Captain  Jean  Ribault  and  his 
party  landed.  Captain  Landonniere  described  this 
place  in  his  ''  Histoire  de  la  Floride."  Large  trees 
growing  on  top  of  the  sea-wall  stand  as  witnesses  of 
its  antiquity. 

In  this  Histoire^  Landonniere  gave  a  fine  descrip- 
tion of  the  harbor,  saying,  ^'-  A  raison  de  sa  heaute  et 
grandeur  fut  appelee  Port  Royal^''  which  name  it  has 
always  held  '-'-avec  raison,''^ 

From  the  banks  of  the  river,  which  is  a  broad  arm 
of  the  sea,  I  could  distinctly  see  the  Union  gunboats 
lying  peacefully  at  anchor  at  Bay  Point  and  Port 
Royal  Harbor. 

My  first  night  spent  in  this  old,  deserted  plantation 
house  was  full  of  troubled  dreams.  The  novel  and 
isolated  position,  with  remembrances  of  the  stories  I 
had  been  listening  to  of  its  past  and  recent  history, 


OLD  FORT  39 

with  the  sighing  of  the  wind,  and  dashing  of  the 
waves  against  the  shore  as  the  tide  came  in,  all  com- 
bined to  weave  around  me  strange  and  fantastic 
visions.  But  the  early  morning  brought  a  healthy 
reaction,  for  there  was  work  enough  to  do.  Like 
soldiers,  we  had  come  with  our  knapsacks  in  our 
hands.  We  were  to  live  on  ''  soldier's  rations,"  and 
draw  our  supplies  from  the  commissariat.  In  army 
fashion  we  "  formed  a  mess."  To  each  member  of 
this  was  delegated  some  special  duties,  and  each  one 
in  turn  took  charge  and  looked  after  supplies.  By 
the  we  I  mean  a  young  man  from  Massachusetts,  who 
was  superintendent  of  that  part  of  the  island,  and  a 
young  woman  sent  out  by  the  New  York  society,  and 
who  had  charge  of  the  plantation  school. 

The  house  was  stripped  of  all  furniture.  The 
windows  were  without  curtains,  and  had  only  board 
shutters  to  protect  us  from  the  sun  by  day  and  unwel- 
come intrusion  at  night.  When  these  shutters  were 
closed  we  were  in  absolute  darkness.  When  they 
were  open  the  windows  were  so  shattered  there  was 
nothing  to  protect  us  from  the  wind  and  the  weather. 
There  were  no  domestic  utensils.  A  few  articles  of 
household  furniture  had  been  gathered  together  for 
our  immediate  use.  This  place  was  first  deserted  by 
its  owners,  then  stripped  of  every  movable  thing 
by  the  negroes,  and  then  entirely  devastated  by  the 
soldiers. 

We  were  not  quite  so  bad  off  as  a  friend  who  went 
South  with  the  first  band  of  missionaries  in  1862. 
His  first  location  was  on  a  plantation  on  St.  Helena 


40  FIRST  DAYS   WITH   THE   CONTRABANDS 

Island.  He  had  no  culinary  utensils  but  a  large  iron 
teakettle  and  a  small  frying-pan,  and  there  was  noth- 
ing else  to  be  found  far  or  near.  So  he  first  boiled 
his  eggs  in  the  teakettle ;  then  he  boiled  fresh  water, 
to  which  he  added  his  coffee.  He  baked  bread  in  his 
pan  until  he  learned  to  bake  hoe-cakes  on  a  real  hoe 
before  an  open  fire.  He  roasted  potatoes  in  the  ashes, 
and  fried  the  bacon  when  the  bread  was  done.  These 
were  all  his  resources  for  many  weeks.  Then  a  negro 
woman  brought  him  a  small  hominy  pot,  so  he  could 
add  this  universal  and  nutritious  edible  to  his  bill  of 
fare. 

We  were  better  off  than  this,  as  the  lapse  of  time 
had  brought  a  little  order  out  of  chaos,  and  we  were 
near  "  the  base  of  supplies." 

Our  house  was  a  cheerless  place  at  first.  It  took 
time  and  patience  to  bring  around  us  anything  like 
homely  comforts.  Three  times  a  day  our  "  rations  " 
were  spread  upon  a  solid  mahogany  table,  a  relic  of 
''secesh  times,"  too  big  and  heavy  to  be  carried 
away.  We  drew  up  our  camp-stools  to  this  festive 
board,  and  enjoyed  our  repast  as  only  tired,  busy,  and 
hungry  people  can.  Table  linen  was  voted  out  as 
too  great  a  luxury  in  war  time  to  be  indulged  in.  I 
had  brought  with  me  a  bed-sack,  which  was  filled  with 
corn  husks,  and  never  was  rest  more  grateful  than  I 
found  on  this  after  a  hard  day's  work. 


FIRST   SCHOOL-DAYS  41 


IV 

WITHIN  THE  LIKES  —  Continued 
First  School-days. 

One  bright  November  morning  I  started  to  take 
possession  of  my  contraband  school.  The  air  was 
soft  as  June ;  birds  were  singing ;  the  cotton-fields 
were  gay  with  blossoms  which  contrasted  charm- 
ingly with  the  white  matured  bolls.  My  path  lay 
through  a  grand  old  live-oak  grove.  It  was  won- 
derfully attractive,  with  its  great  trees  covered  with 
long  gray  moss,  through  which  the  broad  sunshine 
cast  fantastic  lights  and  shadows.  From  this  I 
emerged  into  an  open  field.  There  was  no  regular 
path,  and  the  walk  over  the  old  cotton  hills  was  ex- 
ceedingly rough  and  uncomfortable. 

The  schoolhouse  to  which  I  was  appointed  was  a 
rough,  wooden  building  standing  on  palmetto  posts 
two  or  three  feet  from  the  ground,  with  an  open 
piazza  on  one  side.  When  I  first  came  in  sight  of 
this  building,  the  piazza  was  crowded  with  children, 
all  screaming  and  chattering  like  a  flock  of  jays  and 
blackbirds  in  a  quarrel.  But  as  soon  as  they  saw  me 
they  all  gave  a  whoop  and  a  bound  and  disappeared. 
When  I  reached  the  door  there  was  no  living  thing 
to  be  seen  ;  all  was  literally  ''  as  still  as  a  mouse ; "  so 


42  FIKST   DAYS   WITH   THE   CONTRABANDS 

I  inspected  my  new  quarters  while  waiting  for  my 
forces. 

There  was  one  good  sized  room  without  partitions ; 
it  was  not  ceiled,  but  besides  the  usual  heavy  board 
shutters  its  six  windows  were  glazed.  This  was  a 
luxury  which  belonged  to  but  few  of  the  school-build- 
ings. Indeed,  these  glazed  windows  had  been  held 
up  to  me  as  a  marked  feature  in  my  new  location. 

The  furniture  consisted  of  a  few  wooden  benches, 
a  tall  pine  desk  with  a  high  office  stool,  one  narrow 
blackboard  leaning  against  a  post,  and  a  huge  box 
stove  large  enough  to  warm  a  Puritan  meeting-house 
in  the  olden  times.  The  pipe  of  the  stove  was  put 
through  one  window. 

I  sketch  the  picture  of  this,  my  first  schoolroom, 
with  tenderness.  Rude  and  uncouth  as  it  was,  there 
are  others  besides  myself  who  hold  this  place  as  sacred. 
I  believe  this  was  the  first  building  ever  erected  ex- 
clusively for  a  colored  school.  It  was  built  for  the 
colored  refugees  with  a  fund  sent  to  General  Saxton 
for  this  purpose  by  a  ladies'  freedman's  aid  society 
in  England.  All  the  "  contraband  schools  "  were  at 
that  time  kept  in  churches,  or  cotton-barns,  or  old 
kitchens.     Some  teachers  had  their  classes  in  tents. 

Inspection  over,  I  vigorously  rang  a  little  cracked 
hand-bell  which  I  found  on  the  desk.  Then  I  saw 
several  pairs  of  bright  eyes  peering  in  at  the  open 
door.  But  going  towards  them,  there  was  a  general 
scampering,  and  I  could  only  see  a  head  or  a  foot  dis- 
appearing under  the  house.  Again  I  rang  the  bell, 
with  the  same  result,  until  I  began  to  despair  of  get- 


FIRST   SCHOOL-DAYS  43 

ting  my  scholars  together.  When  I  turned  my  back 
they  all  came  out.  When  I  faced  about  they  darted 
off.  In  time,  however,  I  succeeded  in  capturing  one 
small  urchin,  who  howled  vociferously,  "  O  Lord ! 
O  Lord !  "  This  brought  out  the  others,  who  seemed 
a  little  scared  and  much  amused.  I  soon  reassured 
my  captive,  so  the  rest  came  in.  Then  I  tried  to 
"seat "  them,  which  was  about  as  easy  as  keeping  so 
many  marbles  in  place  on  a  smooth  floor.  Going 
towards  half  a  dozen  little  fellows  huddled  together 
on  one  bench,  they  simultaneously  darted  down  under 
the  seat,  and  scampered  off  on  their  hands  and  feet  to 
a  corner  of  the  room,  looking  very  much  like  a  family 
of  frightened  kittens.  Hearing  a  noise  and  sup- 
pressed titters  back  of  me,  I  looked  around,  and  saw 
four  or  five  larger  boys  rolling  over  and  over  under 
the  benches  towards  the  door.  Whether  for  fun  or 
freedom  I  could  not  tell ;  but  as  the  first  boy  sprang 
to  his  feet  and  out  of  the  door,  I  concluded  they  all 
planned  escape.  But  I  "halted"  the  rest,  and  got 
them  on  to  their  feet  and  into  their  seats.  Then  I 
looked  them  over.  They  saw  I  was  not  angry,  but 
in  earnest,  so  they  quieted  down.  The  runaway 
peeped  in  at  the  door,  then  crept  along  and  sat  down 
by  his  companions.  There  was  not  a  crowd  of  them, 
—  not  half  as  many  as  I  supposed  from  all  the  clat- 
ter they  had  made. 

All  these  children  were  black  as  ink  and  as  shy  as 
wild  animals.  I  had  seen  some  of  them  before,  and 
the  brightest  among  them  had  been  pointed  out ;  but 
they  all  looked  alike  to  me  now.     I  tried  in  vain  to 


44  FIEST  DAYS   WITH  THE   CONTRABANDS 

fix  upon  some  distinguishing  mark  by  which  I  might 
know  one  from  another.  Some  of  these  children  had 
been  in  a  school  before,  but  they  were  afraid  of  white 
people,  and  especially  of  strangers.  As  they  said  of 
a  teacher  on  a  subsequent  occasion,  "  Us  ain't  know 
she." 

I  had  much  the  same  experience  with  these  children 
a  few  months  later.  Small-pox  had  broken  out  in 
the  colored  camps  around  Beaufort,  and  the  command- 
ing officer  issued  an  order  that  all  the  children  should 
be  vaccinated.  So  one  morning  a  physician  came  to 
my  school  for  this  purpose ;  I  expected  him,  but  had 
said  nothing,  not  anticipating  a  riot.  The  room  was 
full,  many  large  boys  and  girls  being  present.  The 
doctor  laid  his  hat  with  a  small  box  on  the  desk  and 
took  a  chair.  I  called  the  lai'gest  girl  in  the  room 
to  me,  and  I  rolled  up  her  sleeve,  the  whole  school 
watching  us  with  anxiety.  The  doctor  took  hold  of 
her  hand  and  raised  his  lancet ;  this  was  too  much ;  she 
uttered  a  shriek,  exclaiming,  "  O  Jesus,  save  me !  " 
and,  snatching  away  her  hand,  she  darted  out  of  the 
room,  and  the  entire  school  followed  her.  The  lead- 
ers dashed  down  the  river-bank,  and  the  little  ones 
darted  under  the  house.  I  called  in  vain,  and  fran- 
tically rang  my  bell.  ''  Miss  Fannie,"  who  was  with 
me  by  that  time,  hunted  about,  and  coaxed  the  few 
laggards  she  found;  but  they  were  not  to  be  lured 
back  to  face  a  direful  enemy  who  confronted  them 
with  a  murderous  weapon.  There  was  nothing  further 
to  be  done  that  day.  The  doctor  went  home,  and 
towards  night  Miss  Fannie  and  I  went  to  see  some  of 


FIRST   SCHOOL-DAYS  45 

the  people,  to  whom  we  explained  the  object  of  the 
doctor's  visit.  The  mothers,  who  had  been  watchful 
to  protect  their  children,  now  turned  around  and  be- 
rated them  well  for  "  being  so  scarry, ^^ 

"  Don't  you  fret,  missis.  They  is  sure  to  be  there 
to-morrow,"  they  said ;  and  so  they  were,  in  full  force. 
The  doctor  came  again,  and  I  explained  what  he 
wished  to  do,  baring  my  own  arm  to  show  them  the 
scar  made  by  vaccination  in  my  childhood.  Now 
they  were  all  as  eager  to  have  this  done  as  they  were 
reluctant  before.  Some  of  the  boys  came  back  and 
begged  to  have  "  some  of  that  leettle  stuff  "  put  into 
the  other  arm.  They  evidently  considered  the  bit  of 
court-plaster  a  badge  of  honor. 

These  children  had  been  born  and  bred  in  troub- 
lous times.  They  had  always  been  surrounded  by 
conflict  and  confusion.  Irrepressible  ?  That 's  tame  ! 
They  were  in  a  constant  state  of  effervescence.  In 
time,  after  some  more  skirmishing,  the  little  gang  be- 
fore me  was  brought  into  a  degree  of  order.  They 
listened,  apparently,  with  open  mouths  and  staring 
eyes  to  what  I  had  to  say.  But  I  soon  discovered  my 
words  were  like  an  unknown  tongue  to  them.  I 
must  first  know  something  of  their  dialect  in  order 
that  we  might  understand  each  other. 

Now  I  wished  to  take  down  the  names  of  these 
children ;  so  I  turned  to  the  girl  nearest  me  and  said, 
"What  is  your  name ?  " 

"It  is  Phyllis,  ma'am." 

"But  what  is  your  other  name?  " 


46  FIRST  DAYS   WITH   THE   CONTRABANDS 

''  Only  Phyllis,  ma'am." 

I  then  explained  that  we  all  have  two  names ;  but 
she  still  replied,  ''Nothing  but  Phyllis,  ma'am." 

Upon  this  an  older  girl  started  up  and  exclaimed, 
"Pshaw,  gal !  What 's  you'm  title  ?  "  whereupon  she 
gave  the  name  of  her  old  master. 

After  this  each  child  gave  two  names,  most  of 
them  funny  combinations.  Sometimes  they  would 
tell  me  one  thing,  and  when  asked  to  repeat  it,  would 
say  something  quite  different.  The  older  children 
would  frequently  correct  and  contradict  the  younger 
ones.  I  know  now  that  they  manifested  much  inge- 
nuity in  invention  or  selection  of  names  and  titles. 
One  boy  gave  his  name  as  Middleton  Heywood, 
shouting  it  out  as  if  it  were  something  he  had  caught 
and  might  lose.  Whereupon  another  boy  started  up, 
saying  angrily,  "•  Not  so,  boy.  You  ain't  Massa  Mid- 
die's  boy.     I  is." 

All  were  now  busily  studying  up  their  cogno- 
mens, and  two  or  three  would  try  to  speak  together 
before  being  called  upon.  One  boy  was  ''Pump- 
kin," another  "Squash,"  and  another  "  Cornhouse." 
The  girls  were  "Honey,"  and  "Baby,"  and  "Missy," 
and  "Tay,"  with  an  indiscriminate  adoption  of 
Rhetts,  Barnwells,  Elliots,  Stuarts,  and  Middletons, 
for  titles. 

I  thought  of  Adam's  naming  the  animals,  and 
wondered  if  he  had  been  as  much  puzzled  as  I.  Cer- 
tainly he  gave  out  the  names  at  first  hand,  and  had 
no  conflicting  incongruities  to  puzzle  him.  In  time 
I  enrolled  fifteen  names,  the  number  present. 


FIRST   SCHOOL-DAYS  47 

The  next  morning  I  called  the  roll,  but  no  one 
answered,  so  I  was  obliged  to  go  around  again  and 
make  out  a  new  list.  I  could  not  distinguish  one 
from  another.  They  looked  like  so  many  peas  in  a 
pod.  The  woolly  heads  of  the  girls  and  boys  looked 
just  alike.  All  wore  indiscriminately  any  cast-off 
garments  given  them,  so  it  was  not  easy  to  tell 
"  which  was  which."  Were  there  twenty-five  new 
stiholars,  or  only  ten  ? 

The  third  morning  it  was  the  same  work  over 
again.  There  were  forty  children  present,  many  of 
them  large  boys  and  girls.  I  had  already  a  list  of 
over  forty  names.  Amongst  these  were  most  of  the 
months  of  the  year  and  days  of  the  week,  besides  a 
number  of  Pompeys,  Cudjos,  Sambos,  and  Rhinas, 
and  Rosas  and  Floras.  I  now  wrote  down  forty  new 
names,  and  I  began  to  despair  of  ever  getting  regu- 
lated. Fortunately,  the  day  before,  I  had  given  out 
two  dozen  paper  primers  with  colored  pictures,  and 
had  written  a  name  on  each.  So  I  called  these 
names,  but  only  two  or  three  children  came  forward 
to  claim  their  books.  So  I  laid  the  rest  one  side. 
Then  half  a  dozen  little  heads  were  lifted  up,  and 
one  boy  said,  "  Please,  ma'am,  us  wants  one  o'  dem." 

"  I  have  no  more,  and  these  are  given  away 
already,"  I  said. 

"You'na  done  give  dem  to  we!"  they  exclaimed. 
I  asked  the  first  boy  what  was  his  name.  Then  I 
looked  over  the  books.  No  name  had  been  put  down 
like  the  one  he  gave.  It  was  the  same  with  all  the 
rest.     But  as  I  turned  the  books  over,  one  girl  ex- 


48  FIRST   DAYS   WITH   THE   CONTRABANDS 

claimed,  '^  Dar,  da  him  !  "  And  coming  forward,  she 
pointed  to  one  of  the  primers  with  evident  delight, 
saying,  "  Him 's  mine."  I  looked  at  the  written 
name.  It  was  Lucy  Barnwell.  I  asked  her  name. 
It  was  Fanny  Osborne.  "  Pshaw,  gal !  "  exclaimed  an 
older  girl,  '^  Dat's  youn'a  mammy's  name." 

Now  the  others  came  forward  and  picked  out  their 
own  books.  What  marks  they  had  to  distinguish 
their  property  I  have  never  been  able  to  discover. 
But  the  children,  and  the  older  people  too,  rarely 
ever  make  mistakes  in  these  ways.  I  have  taken  up 
a  pile  of  books  all  just  alike,  and  called  to  the  children 
sitting  in  their  seats  to  tell  me  to  whom  they  belonged. 
They  not  only  knew  their  own  property,  but  their 
neighbors  also. 

In  time  I  began  to  get  acquainted  with  some  of 
their  faces.  I  could  remember  that  ''  Cornhouse " 
yesterday  was  "-  Primus  "  to-day.  That  "  Quash " 
was  "  Bryan."  He  was  already  denying  the  old 
sobriquet,  and  threatening  to  "  mash  your  mouf  in," 
to  any  one  who  called  him  Quash.  I  reproved  the 
boys  for  teasing  him.  "  Oh,  us  jes'  call  him  so,"  with 
a  little  chuckle,  as  if  he  ought  to  see  the  fun.  The 
older  people  told  me  these  were  "  basket  names." 
"Nem'seys  [namesakes]  gives  folks  different  names." 

It  was  months  before  I  learned  their  family  rela- 
tions. The  terms  "  bubber  "  for  brother,  and  "  titty  " 
for  sister,  with  "  nanna  "  for  mother,  and  "  mother  " 
for  grandmother,  and  father  for  all  leaders  in  church 
and  society,  were  so  generally  used,  I  was  forced  to 
believe  that  all  belonged  to  one  immense  family.     It 


FIRST   SCHOOL-DAYS  49 

was  hopeless  trying  to  understand  their  titles.  There 
were  two  half-brothers  in  school.  One  was  called 
Dick,  and  the  other  Richard.  In  one  family  there 
were  nine  brothers  and  half-brothers,  and  each  took  a 
different  title.  One  took  Hamilton,  and  another 
Singleton,  and  another  Baker,  and  others  Smith, 
Simmons,  etc.  Their  father  was  ''  Jimmy  of  the 
Battery,"  or  "Jimmy  Black."  I  asked  why  his  title 
was  Black. 

''  Oh,  him  look  so.  Him  one  very  black  man,"  they 
said. 

These  men  are  well  settled,  and  have  families  grow- 
ing up  in  honor  and  respectability  who  are  as  tena- 
cious of  their  titles  as  any  of  the  F.  F.  Vs. 

One  boy  gave  the  name  of  Middleton,  but  after- 
wards came  to  me,  wishing  to  have  it  changed,  say- 
ing, ''  That 's  my  ole  rebel  master's  title.  Him 's 
nothing  to  me  now.  I  don't  belong  to  he  no  longer, 
an'  I  don't  see  no  use  in  being  called  for  him."  But 
when  I  asked  what  other  name  he  would  choose,  the 
poor  fellow  was  much  puzzled.  He  evidently  sup- 
posed I  could  supply  a  proper  cognomen  as  I  sup- 
plied new  clothes,  picking  out  something  to  fit.  In 
time  he  decided  upon  Drayton,  as  "  that  was  a  good 
name  in  secesh  times,  and  General  Drayton  was  a 
friend  to  we,  an'  no  mistake.  He  fight  on  our  side 
'gainst  his  own  brother  when  the  first  gun  shoot." 

That  was  the  beginning  of  time  for  these  poor 
freed  people,  ''  when  the  first  gun  shoot." 


50  FIKST   DAYS   WITH   THE  CONTRABANDS 

Refugee  Quarters. 

On  Thursday  the  schoolroom  was  filled  with  eager 
children,  who  truly  might  be  called  a  "  jolly  crowd." 
Only  a  few  of  these  knew  their  letters.  Those  who 
had  been  in  a  school  in  the  spring  were  shy  of  a  new 
teacher.  They  must  first  see  how  things  were  going 
on,  "  fur  us  ain't  know  she,"  was  their  repeated  asser- 
tion.    Caution  was  their  predominant  quality. 

None  of  the  children  could  count  beyond  twenty, 
so  there  was  ample  opportunity  for  oral  instruction. 
I  tried  to  group  them  in  families.  Twice  a  day  I 
called  the  roll,  that  we  might  all  become  familiar 
with  the  new  condition  of  things.  It  was  difficult  to 
tell  at  roll-call  which  was  more  puzzled,  teacher  or 
scholars. 

Friday,  alas,  found  a  terrible  falling  off.  Not  a 
quarter  of  the  usual  number  were  present.  To  my 
inquiries  as  to  the  cause  for  this,  the  invariable  reply 
was,  ''  Him  home  for  wash."  This  showed  me  that 
Friday  was  the  universal  washing-day  throughout  the 
colony.  Thinking  the  work  might  be  performed  in 
half  a  day,  I  dismissed  the  little  ones  present,  and 
told  them  to  run  home  and  tell  all  the  others  to  come, 
for  I  was  waiting  for  them.  That  was  the  last  of 
school  for  that  day.  I  waited  and  watched  two  hours 
in  vain.  No  one  came.  So  I  shut  my  door  and 
went  to  hunt  for  my  scholars  in  the  refugee  quarters. 

These  quarters  were  about  half  a  mile  away. 
There  was  a  row  of  a  dozen  or  more  buildings,  which 
resembled   huge   wooden  boxes.      Each   house   was 


EEI'tJGEE  QUARTERS  61 

divided  into  four  rooms  or  compartments,  and  in 
each  room  was  located  one  family  of  from  five  to 
fifteen  persons.  In  each  room  was  a  large  fireplace, 
an  opening  for  a  window  with  a  broad  board  shutter, 
and  a  double  row  of  berths  built  against  the  wall  for 
beds.  One  or  more  low  benches,  and  a  pine  table  with 
"  piggins,"  home-made  cedar  tubs,  on  it,  completed 
the  furniture.  The  whiteness  and  cleanliness  of 
table  and  piggins,  and  occasionally  a  '-'  gourd  "  or  tin 
dipper,  to  which  may  be  added  the  number  and 
variety  of  articles  of  wearing  apparel  hanging  on  a 
cross-piece  in  front  of  the  "bunks,"  indicated  the 
character,  I  might  say  the  social  status,  of  the 
owner. 

This  village  was  built  by  the  quartermaster  of  Gen- 
eral Saxton's  department,  for  the  refugees  brought 
off  by  General  Montgomery's  raid  up  the  Combahee 
and  Ashapoo  Rivers  in  May  and  June,  1863.  In  his 
first  expedition  he  brought  off  three  hundred  of  these 
poor  slaves,  who  came  to  him  for  refuge,  and  seven 
hundred  and  twenty -seven  on  the  second. 

I  now  came  for  the  first  time  face  to  face  with  life 
in  the  "  one-roomed  cabin."  Outwardly  it  repre- 
sented the  poorest  and  most  meagre  animal  existence. 
Was  I  repelled  by  these  conditions?  On  the  con- 
trary, my  whole  heart  went  out  in  pity  for  them.  I 
forgot  that  I  was  working  alone  and  single-handed, 
and  I  was  ready  to  help  them  at  any  sacrifice.  In 
military  order  I  began  inspection  at  once,  to  marshal 
my  forces  and  "  muster  in  "  recruits. 

In  spite  of  most  adverse  circumstances,  there  was 


52  FIRST  DAYS   WITH   THE   CONTRABANDS 

a  general  air  of  tidiness  and  decency  around  the 
place.  The  space  before  some  of  the  doorways  was 
swept  clean,  and  sprinkled  with  white  sand  from  the 
bluff.  Some  clothes,  just  washed,  were  spread  over 
the  wild  plum  bushes,  and  the  washtubs  were  turned 
on  their  sides  against  the  house.  These  tubs  were 
old  beer  barrels  sawed  in  two.  All  the  houses  were 
not  so  respectable.  But  I  soon  learned  the  people 
had  chosen  a  leader  from  their  own  gang  to  act  as 
supervisor.  To  them  he  was  something  like  the 
driver  on  the  old  plantations. 

Most  of  the  women  were  sitting  out-of-doors. 
The  younger  ones  said  their  husbands  were  "  '  mong 
Mon'gomery's  men,  ma'am,"  meaning  Montgomery's 
Regiment,  C.  J.,  which  was  at  that  time  in  Florida. 

One  woman  was  dexterously  spinning  cotton  thread 
on  a  wooden  spindle,  or  a  long  wooden  pin,  one  end 
of  which  rested  in  a  tin  basin  in  her  lap.  With  her 
right  hand  she  twirled  the  spindle,  holding  small  bits 
of  cotton,  roughly  fashioned  into  rolls,  with  her  left. 
In  this  rude  manner  she  made  most  respectable 
thread  and  yarn,  which  she  used  for  sewing  and  for 
knitting. 

She  was  shy  at  first  about  showing  her  work,  or 
answering  my  questions,  and  she  received  my  praise 
of  her  skill  with  evident  distrust.  Later  I  learned 
that  the  colored  people  were  prohibited  by  law  from 
appropriating  even  a  single  boll  of  cotton  to  their 
own  use.  But  it  was  a  very  common  thing  for  each 
woman  to  secrete  a  few  handfuls  of  the  cotton  she 
had  picked  when  she  left  the  field.     The  old  habit  of 


BEFtJGEie  QUAHTERS  63 

helping  themselves  to  a  fraction  of  the  products  of 
their  labor,  which  they  could  not  get  otherwise,  still 
clung  to  them.  They  evidently  did  not  understand 
why  they  were  not  entitled  to  a  pound  of  the  cotton 
they  alone  had  worked,  when  strange  white  people 
were  seizing  and  carrying  off  whole  crops,  on  which 
they  had  no  apparent  claim  —  the  crops  which  the 
slaves  had  raised  for  their  masters,  and  which  had 
been  kept  in  their  hands. 

These  people  called  themselves  "  Combees," 
because  they  came  from  Combahee  River.  The 
Combee  women  knew  how  to  do  many  things  of 
which  the  island  people  were  quite  ignorant.  Before 
spring  I  saw  many  pairs  of  shapely  gloves  and  stout 
stockings  made  of  the  coarse  yarn  spun  in  a  tin 
basin  and  knitted  on  reeds,  cut  in  the  swamps. 
These  were  sent  to  husbands,  sons,  and  lovers,  off 
on  duty  as  soldiers. 

It  was  a  long  time  before  I  learned  that  the 
crude  material  used  was  ''contraband."  When  the 
women  found  me  so  unsuspicious,  they  exhibited  their 
handicraft  with  no  small  degree  of  pride.  It  was 
not  an  unusual  thing  to  meet  a  woman  coming  from 
the  field,  where  she  had  been  hoeing  cotton,  with 
a  small  bucket  or  cup  on  her  head,  and  a  hoe  over 
her  shoulder,  contentedly  smoking  a  pipe  and 
briskly  knitting  as  she  strode  along.  I  have  seen, 
added  to  all  these,  a  baby  strapped  to  her  back.  The 
patient  devotion  of  these  negro  women  was  most 
admirable. 

Two  of  the  best  people  I  have  known  were  a  man 


64  FIRST  DAYS   WITH  THE  CONTRABANDS 

and  his  wife,  superior  field-hands,  who  always  headed 
the  gang  of  workers.  He  had  charge  of  a  mule,  and 
rode  to  and  from  the  field,  whilst  his  wife  patiently- 
walked  behind,  carrying  the  hoes  and  other  tools. 
Whenever  she  rode  with  him  in  the  mule-cart,  she 
sat  behind  with  her  back  to  him. 

I  will  say  here  that  this  man  came  on  and  up  in 
the  worlds  until  he  bought  land  for  himself,  and  built 
a  house  with  two  stories,  and  owned  a  good  horse  and 
buggy,  with  which  he  drove  to  town,  his  wife  proudly 
sitting  by  his  side. 

One  of  the  most  respectable  of  the  old  women 
constituted  herself  my  guide,  as  I  made  the  rounds 
of  the  refugee  quarters.  At  one  door  was  old  Leah, 
trying  to  darn  a  soldier's  threadbare  coat  with  some 
of  the  coarse  yarn  she  had  spun  herself.  The  coat 
was  black  and  the  thread  white,  but  that  made  no 
difference.  On  the  contrary,  I  think  she  liked  it 
better  so.  It  looked  like  coarse  embroidery  to  her. 
I  praised  her  work. 

''  O  missis !  us  all  larn  to  do  leetle  tings  for  we- 
sels,"  she  said  with  a  laugh.  "  I  been  cook  for  white 
folks  steady.  We's  Combee^  ma'am,"  as  if  to  be 
Combee  implied  everything. 

At  another  house  my  guide  told  me  lived  "  Silvy 
an'  Joe  an'  baby  an'  two  chillen  dead.  Hunger  kill 
'em  las'  June."  That  was  the  time  they  fled  from 
Combahee. 

Susie  said,  "  Me  an'  my  ole  man  lib  here,  an'  we 
sister  lib  wid  we.  Him  got  husband,  but  'specs  him 
husband  in  Beefort,  ma'am." 


EEFUGEE   QUARTERS  65 

No  one  was  willing  to  confess  there  were  any- 
young  or  able-bodied  men  around,  for  fear  they 
would  be  drafted  into  the  army.  They  were  proud 
of  volunteers,  but  a  draft  was  like  an  ignominious 
seizure.  These  women  were  not  quite  sure  of  me, 
as  I  went  around  with  note-book  in  hand.  I  might 
be  a  spy  or  a  detective.  It  was  a  long  time  before 
these  refugees  could  get  rid  of  their  suspicions  of 
white  people.  Perhaps  they  never  did.  Since  the 
beginning  of  the  war  they  had  been  time  and  again 
deceived  by  Northerners  and  Southerners. 

General  Sherman  tells  the  story  of  a  negro  who 
cautiously  approached  his  camp  one  night  and 
watched  him  a  long  time  before  he  would  commit 
himself.  Not  long  before,  some  Rebel  soldiers  had 
put  on  the  blue  overcoats  of  the  Unionists  and 
talked  with  the  negroes,  calling  themselves  their 
friends,  and  then  severely  punished  them  for  mani- 
festing ''sympathy  with  the  Yankees." 

Sarah  and  her  husband,  November,  greeted  me 
cordially.  ''Us  has  three  childun,  missis,"  said 
Sarah.  "Dem  mus^  go  to  school,  fur  us  want  to 
larn  something,  fur  sure." 

My  guide  took  me  into  one  room  to  see  Viola,  who 
was  in  bed  desperately  ill.  She  had  no  clothing  or 
anything  to  make  her  comfortable.  "  Her  husband," 
said  the  woman,  "  is  wid  Mon'gomery's  boys  in  de 
regiment.  Now  de  mudder-in-law  Rose,"  —  she  pro- 
nounced it  as  one  wovd^" mudderinlawrose^^^  —  "tucks 
care  of  him." 

The  devotion  of  this  old  mother-in-law  I  have  rarely 


66  FIEST  DAYS   WITH  THE  CONTRABANDS 

seen  equalled.  When  the  contrabands  were  first  put 
in  the  barracks,  there  were  twice  as  many  as  could 
possibly  find  room  there.  So  "  Government  "  put  up 
tents  for  the  overflow.  Viola  was  put  in  one  of  the 
tents,  where  she  remained  through  the  winter,  which 
was  unusually  severe.  Small-pox  broke  out  amongst 
the  refugees,  and  their  wants  and  sufferings  were 
indescribable.  Poor  Viola  never  recovered  from  this 
exposure.  Old  Rose  gave  up  her  room  to  her,  and 
lived  in  the  tent  without  fire  or  a  floor.  My  heart 
ached  for  these  poor  creatures,  and  I  promised  to 
send  them  something  to  make  them  more  comfort- 
able as  soon  as  I  reached  home 

"  God  bless  you'na,  missis  !  You'na  can't  do  noth- 
ing, an'  you'na  mustn't  fret  fur  we.  It  can't  be 
helpet.  Us  don't  complain,  an'  us  so  glad  to  be 
here,"  said  the  brave  old  woman. 

I  was  so  glad  to  turn  from  this  sad  scene  to  meet 
Tamar,  a  robust,  merry-looking,  middle-aged  woman. 
Her  mother  and  grandmother  lived  in  the  room  with 
her.  She  also  had  three  children,  one  of  whom  was 
married  and  lived  there  with  his  wife  and  baby, 
which  baby  the  oldest  woman  was  "  minding."  It  was 
something  to  see  five  generations  together,  all  appar- 
ently in  good  condition.  At  my  request,  Ned,  the 
young  father,  took  the  baby,  and  all  stood  in  a  row. 
In  the  old  vernacular  they  would  have  been  called 
"  a  prime  lot  of  niggers."  I  never  saw  a  more  fearless 
and  self-contained  set.  They  were  all  very  black,  and 
had  been  considered  valuable,  and  they  knew  their 
own  importance. 


REFUGEE  QUARTERS  57 

Tamar  said  of  her  boys,  "  Missis,  they  mus'  go  to 
school  sure.  Us  wants  to  larn,  fur  we've  been  in 
darkness  too  long,  an'  now  we're  in  light,  us  want  to 
larn.  I  wants  to  go  to  school  too,  myself,  ef  I  kin 
larn." 

The  great-grandmother,  old  Affey,  was  said  to  be 
over  one  hundred  years  old.  At  one  time  we  were 
speaking  to  her  of  her  age,  and  a  gentleman  of  our 
party  said,  ''  Aunty,  I  shouldn't  wonder  if  you  are 
one  hundred  and  fifty  years  old." 

"  I  'specs  I  is,  massa.  Or  one  hundred  an'  sixty 
at  least.  Why  def  [death]  forget  to  tuk  me  long 
time  ago,"  she  answered  with  dejection.  She  always 
seemed  aggrieved  and  neglected  to  be  left  so  long  be- 
hind her  comrades. 

"  I  can't  stay  behind,  my  Lord ;  I  can't  stay  be- 
hind," is  one  of  their  spirituals. 

My  guide  stopped  at  one  door,  saying, ''  A  heap  o' 
folks  lives  here,  missis."  Sure  enough.  I  wrote 
down  these  names  as  she  called  them  off.  ''  Venus," 
and  ''  John,"  and  "  Aunt  Dinah,"  and  "  Gumbo," 
and  "Mingo,"  and  "Dido,"  and  "gal  Phyllis,"  and 
"Flora,"  and  "him  gran'son  Billy,"  and  "Doll,"  and 
two  children  named  "  Shadrach  and  Cudjo,"  —  all 
of  one  family,  or  all  "  massa's  niggers,"  which  meant 
the  same  thing.  They  had  fled  from  bondage  together, 
and  were  now  unwilling  to  be  separated. 

My  head  grew  dizzy  trying  to  understand  the  dia- 
lect of  these  people.  I  was  hopelessly  confused  in 
regard  to  their  family  relations,  and  I  never  knew 
whether  they  were  talking  of  boys  or  girls.  They 
spoke  of  all  as  "him." 


68  FIRST   DAYS   WITH   THE   CONTRABANDS 

One  woman  said  her  husband  "  was  druv  up  the 
country  by  de  Rebels,  and  us  brought  off  and  never 
see  him  no  more." 

She  lived  with  her  sister,  whose  husband  was  ''  gone 
for  soldier."  Their  children  had  all  died.  ''An'  you 
see,  missis,  us  all  alone,  an'  us  hab  sup  sorrow  I  can 
tell  yer.  But,  t'ank  de  Lord,  us  ain't  widout  hope," 
said  one. 

I  stopped  before  one  door  in  which  stood  two  very 
bright-looking  women,  Jane  and  Daphne,  who  wel- 
comed me  with  smiles  and  courtesies,  and  asked  me  to 
take  a  seat.  This  I  gladly  did,  for  their  room  was  as 
clean  as  possible,  with  an  air  of  comfort,  in  spite  of  its 
poor  condition.  The  rough  floor  had  been  scoured  un- 
til it  had  become  smooth,  and  over  it  was  spread  fresh 
white  sand.  On  one  side  of  the  room  were  two  rude 
shelves,  on  which  were  rows  of  piggins  and  pans  and 
some  iron  spoons,  all  as  bright  as  soap  and  sand  could 
make  them.  The  women's  dresses  were  nothing 
but  patches,  sewed  together  with  every  variety  of 
thread,  even  to  coarse  twine,  but  perfectly  nice  and 
clean. 

I  asked  Jane,  the  older  woman,  if  she  had  a  hus- 
band. She  gave  a  cheery  laugh,  and  tossed  her  head, 
saying,  — 

"  I  'specs  I  is,  ma'am,  somewhere  'mongst  the  secesh. 
But  I  don't  know  where,  an'  I  ain't  seen  him,  I  don't 
know  when's  the  time." 

Then  she  added,  with  a  pardonable  degree  of  pride, 
that  she  had  a  son  in  Thirty  Third  Regiment,  ''  Ser- 
geant  Jones   of   Company   G  Street."     She   always 


REFUGEE   QUARTERS  69 

added  "street"  to  the  company,  as  if  to  give  it 
greater  importance. 

She  told  me  of  a  daughter  who  was  left  behind 
with  the  Rebels,  and  whom  she  had  not  seen  for  a  long 
time.  Talking  of  this  daughter,  the  child  of  her 
heart,  her  face  became  sad  and  wistful.  "  For  God 
only  knows  whether  I'll  ever  see  her  again.  She  is 
shut  up  somewhere  in  Charleston." 

This  little  quaint  old  woman  attracted  me  greatly 
by  her  brightness  and  her  ready  intelligence.  She 
soon  after  came  to  live  with  me  as  cook,  and  was  un- 
der my  care  the  rest  of  her  days.  She  proved  a  won- 
derful servant  and  a  most  valued  friend.  She  be- 
longed to  a  good  class.  All  her  people  had  been 
house-servants,  and  no  one  of  them  had  ever  been 
bought  or  sold.  This  was  to  her  the  very  acme  of 
respectability.  Sometimes  she  expressed  great  con- 
tempt for  what  she  termed  ''  country  niggers." 

Daphne  told  me  her  husband  was  "  in  Mon'gom- 
ery's  battles."  She  and  Jane  were  the  first  people  I 
had  met  who  were  willing  to  talk  of  their  old  master. 
They  had  belonged  to  one  of  the  oldest  and  most 
honored  families  in  Charleston,  and  they  always 
spoke  with  respect  and  affection  of  their  former 
owners.  "  Him  fret  on  to  death  when  us  come  off," 
said  Daphne. 

Before  I  had  gone  far  I  discovered  that  as  I  had 
begun  to  make  calls,  I  must  not  omit  one  house,  nor 
fail  to  speak  to  a  single  person,  from  the  oldest  grand- 
parent to  the  youngest  child.  Their  social  rights 
were  inexorable.  My  guide  said,  ''  All  them  people 
waits  to  say  how  d'ye  to  you,"  so  I  went  on. 


60  FIRST   DAYS   WITH  THE   CONTRABANDS 

The  children  soon  made  out  my  errand,  and  decided 
I  came  as  a  friend,  so  they  swarmed  around  me  like 
flies.  I  sat  down  on  a  hen-coop  and  proceeded  to 
write  down  their  names,  whilst  my  guide  called  out 
to  them  to  ''  scrape  the  foot  and  hab  manners."  These 
were  the  names  they  gave  :  Sambo,  Silva,  March, 
April,  Cornhouse,  Quash,  Juno,  another  April,  Phebe, 
Flora,  Rose,  Missy,  Girly,  Tant,  June,  November, 
Friday,  Monday,  Gumbo,  and  Jack.  Not  one  gave 
any  title,  nor  knew  what  I  meant  when  I  asked  for 
one. 

The  first  boy  I  captured  and  succeeded  in  making 
stand  long  enough  to  tell  his  name,  was  nearly  scared 
out  of  his  wits.  He  could  only  ejaculate  ''  O  Lord ! 
O  Lord ! "  as  if  his  death-warrant  had  been  signed. 
But  when  the  others  found  this  was  a  harmless  pro- 
cess, they  were  only  too  eager  to  be  enrolled.  Some 
of  them  came  up  twice,  and  wished  to  assume  a 
second  name.  Before  I  came  to  the  end  of  the  line 
the  last  ones  grew  uneasy,  for  fear  they  should  not 
be  taken  in,  and  began  to  say,  ''You  ain't  call  me  ; " 
"  nor  me  ;  "  "  nor  me."  At  the  last,  as  I  was  closing 
my  book,  there  came  hurriedly  forward  ''Mila  an' 
he  aunty,"  and  some  others,  begging  to  "  be  ticketed 
too."  As  I  read  over  the  long  list,  I  felt  sure  of  a 
full  school,  but  was  much  in  doubt  whether  I  had 
seen  any  of  these  before,  or  if  they  were  fresh  recruits. 

The  most  notable  people  there  were  Smart  and 
Mary  Washington.  They  became  staunch  allies  in 
and  out  of  school,  and  proved  themselves  worthy  of 
their  significant  and  illustrious  names. 


REFUGEE  QUARTEES  61 

The  old  man  said  he  was  a  "  cooper  by  trade,"  for 
he  "  was  born  and  raised  on  a  rice  plantation,  an'  he 
had  seen  hard  times  in  his  day.  But  de  white  folks 
t'ink  much  ob  Mary,  and  been  kin'  to  de  ole  woman, 
for  her  bin  great  breeder." 

"  That's  so ;  some  dem  women  breed  like  fish,"  said 
an  old  woman  who  stood  near. 

''  So  de  massa  been  very  keerful  ob  him,"  contin- 
ued Smart. 

Later  in  the  winter  the  old  man  brought  his  new 
Bible  we  had  just  given  him,  for  me  to  write  his 
family  record.  He  manifested  a  proper  degree  of 
pride  when  he  announced  himself  as  "  the  father  of 
nineteen  sons."  He  was  much  puzzled,  however,  to 
give  their  names,  as  they  had  been  called  sometimes 
one  thing  and  sometimes  another.  "  So  many  people 
give  them  basket  names,  I  ain't  'zactly  know  myself 
which  de  right  one,"  said  the  old  man  apologetically. 
But,  after  thinking  a  minute,  he  gave  his  head  a  wise 
little  nod,  and  started  off  so  briskly,  saying,  ''  Now  I 
'member,"  I  felt  quite  sure  he  gave  his  boys  new 
names  throughout,  substituting  Moses  for  January, 
and  Benjamin  for  Hasty,  etc.  He  confessed  they  had 
been  known  in  "  old  secesh  times  "  as  Primus,  Roos- 
ter, Mealbag,  and  other  comical  appellations  which 
referred  to  some  special  time,  place,  or  circumstance. 
After  getting  them  in  order  and  written  down  to  his 
entire  satisfaction,  I  asked  where  was  this  army  of 
boys.  To  my  surprise  he  answered  gravely,  ''In 
heaven.  All  'cept  one,  an'  dat  I  t'ink  is  Solomon; 
yes,  I  mos'  sure  he  named  Solomon.     He  is  in  Men'- 


62  FIRST   DAYS    WITH   THE   CONTRABANDS 

gomeiy  Regiment,  for  him's  a  big  man,  so  tall  I  could 
eat  off  his  head,"  meaning  he  was  his  own  height.  I 
asked  if  he  had  been  married  more  than  once.  He 
hesitated,  then  said  gravely,  "  No,  ma'am,  only  'tween 
we  and  God."* 

I  was  sure  of  a  full  attendance  at  school  after  these 
introductions.  When  I  first  came  in  sight  of  the 
house,  the  piazza  was  filled  with  men,  women,  and 
children.  I  had  heard  many  exclamations  of  "  Dar, 
da  him;"  ''Missis  comes  fur  larn  we;"  "Dar  him 
come  fur  sure  ;  "  and  there  was  a  general  shuffling  of 
feet  and  happy  greetings.  Some  of  the  children  were 
disposed  to  dart  off  as  usual,  but  the  older  ones  kept 
them  in  order.  The  men  and  women  had  only  come 
to  "'  get  their  names  put  down,"  as  the  field-work  was 
not  done.  Each  one  regarded  it  as  an  honor  to  be 
enrolled  as  a  scholar.  They  all  left  with  a  new  con- 
sciousness of  their  own  individuality  and  personal 
dignity.  I  use  this  term  advisedly.  The  poorest 
and  most  down-trodden  of  these  people  are  self- 
respecting. 


FIKST  DAYS   AMONGST  THE   CONTRABANDS       63 


V 

SCHOOL-DAYS 

The  warm  autumn  days  continued.  Before  Christ- 
mas the  field-work  was  done.  Cotton  was  picked, 
potatoes  were  banked,  and  ground-nuts  gathered  in. 
Now  children  and  parents,  even  the  old  gray-headed 
people,  hurried  together  to  the  schoolroom.  Such  a 
motley  crowd,  I  venture  to  say,  was  never  seen  in 
a  school  before,  and  will  not  be  again :  all  is  changed. 

The  schoolroom  was  filled  to  overflowing  with 
eager,  expectant  scholars.  "  Us  wants  book-larning, 
too^  bad,"  they  said  over  and  over  again. 

Some  of  the  children  had  been  in  school  before. 
But  not  one  of  the  grown-up  people  could  read  or 
even  knew  how  to  handle  a  book.  Indeed,  a  book 
was  to  them  a  mystery  which  they  supposed  would 
impart  knowledge  by  some  occult  influence  without 
any  effort  on  their  part.  They  were  beginners  in 
every  sense  of  the  word,  as  they  expressed  it. 

'^  Us  ain't  know  nothing,  an'  you  is  to  larn  we." 

Work  accumulated  rapidly.  I  wished  I  had  fifty 
pairs  of  hands  to  labor  with.  But  there  was  no  time 
to  waste  in  wishing.     Afraid  ?    I  knew  no  such  word 


64  FIRST   DAYS   WITH   THE  CONTKABANDS 

as  fear.  I  only  thought  of  what  might,  could,  would, 
and  should  be  done. 

A  sewing-school  seemed  to  be  our  most  pressing 
need,  so  I  announced  that  one  should  be  started  at 
once.  But  material  to  work  on  was  needed,  and  there 
was  none  on  hand.  It  took  a  very  long  time  to  get 
supplies  from  the  North.  We  soon  learned  we  must 
be  patient  waiters  in  a  military  department,  espe- 
cially when  Sherman's  army  was  passing  through.  In 
this  dilemma  General  Saxton  came  to  my  aid.  There 
was  some  coarse,  heavy  contraband  goods  stored  in 
the  arsenal.  Could  I  make  use  of  it  in  my  school  ? 
I  replied,  we  could  use  anything  that  could  be  cut 
with  scissors  and  pierced  with  a  needle.  So  he  do- 
nated several  pieces  of  dark  hickory-brown  twilled 
cotton.  One  of  the  "Disciples"  in  Boston  had 
already  furnished  me  with  a  generous  supply  of 
threads,  needles,  thimbles,  etc.  With  these  I  felt 
rich  indeed.  Twice  a  week  the  major's  wife  and  Mrs. 
Wilson  drove  down  from  headquarters  in  an  ambu- 
lance to  help  me  in  cutting,  basting,  and  directing ; 
helping  me  to  bear  a  load  which  was  becoming  too 
heavy.  It  was  true,  as  they  said,  "  We  could  not 
enter  the  department  without  a  teacher's  commission, 
and  we  are  quite  ready  to  fulfil  our  contract."  They 
nobly  redeemed  their  promise. 

No  sooner  was  one  set  of  girls  supplied  with  work 
and  clothing,  than  another  "gang,"  as  they  called 
themselves,  appeared.  Sewing  had  a  great  fascina- 
tion for  all.  They  learned  readily,  and  soon  devel- 
oped much  skill  and  ingenuity.     They  had  never  had 


SCHOOL-DAYS  65 

the  freQ  use  of  sewing  materials  before,  and  were  now 
delighted  beyond  expression. 

I  dismissed  the  morning  school,  and  told  the  girls 
Vho  wished  to  sew,  to  go  home  for  luncheon,  and 
come  back  in  half  an  hour.  This  was  the  first  day 
when  sewing  was  inaugurated.  When  I  returned 
after  recess,  I  found  the  girls  still  on  the  piazza,  wait- 
ing and  watching  for  the  ambulance  which  was  to 
being  "the  ladies  from  town.  Upon  questioning  them 
I  found  they  were  afraid  of  losing  their  chance  if 
they  did  not  stand  by. 

"  Dem  won't  let  we  come  back  ef  we  go  home," 
said  one  large  girl  apologetically. 

The  ladies  were  never  weary  of  well-doing.  There 
was  much  that  was  interesting,  and  also  amusing,  in 
the  attempts  of  some  of  the  younger  girls  to  master 
the  intricacies  of  plain  sewing.  I  see  before  me  now 
those  bright-eyed,  demure-looking  maidens,  as  they 
came  lip,  one  after  another,  for  a  needleful  of  thread, 
which  they  always  received  with  a  courtesy.  Indeed, 
they  never  took  anything  from  a  teacher,  whether 
book,  paper,  pens,  or  the  simplest  thing,  without 
dropping  a  courtesy,  but  they  were  shy  of  speaking. 

"  Can  you  not  say  thank  j^ou  to  the  lady  who  has 
been  so  kind  to  you  ?  "  once  said  a  gentleman  to  a 
large  girl.  She  gave  him  a  startled  and  inquiring 
look,  then  turned  and  made  a  deeper  courtesy  and 
went  away.  She  evidently  did  not  know  what  he 
meant. 


66  FIRST   DAYS   WITH   THE   CONTEABANDS 


Old  Fort  Children. 

The  girls  of  the  plantation  who  went  to  a  small 
school  held  in  the  Praise  house  in  the  grove  were 
much  distressed  to  find  their  neighbors  enjoying  ad- 
vantages which  they  had  not.  So  one  day  they  sent 
a  messenger  to  beg  me  to  take  them  into  school  "  fur 
sew."  I  was  obliged  to  refuse,  on  account  of  my  lim- 
ited supplies. 

These  children  had  been  rather  unfriendly  to  the 
refugees,  always  passing  them  with  a  degree  of  scorn, 
and  speaking  of  them  as  ^'  dem  rice  niggers."  But 
now  they  were  entirely  ready  to  fraternize.  One 
little  creature  smuggled  herself  into  the  school  and 
remained  a  long  time  before  I  discovered  she  belonged 
to  the  other  district.  Another  left  home  and  went 
to  stay  with  an  auntie,  only  half  a  mile  away,  so  as 
to  be  in  the  limits  of  my  district.  Then  one  day  all 
the  girls  came  early  and  seated  themselves  before  I 
arrived,  determined  to  try  a  coup-de-main.  This  was 
on  Saturday,  when  their  own  school  was  closed.  It 
was  impossible  to  take  them  in  then,  so  I  treated 
them  as  visitors  until  recess,  then  explained,  as  well 
as  I  could  my  reasons  for  refusing  to  admit  them, 
and  thus  sent  them  away.  Later  in  the  season  I  was 
enabled  to  unite  the  two  schools,  greatly  to  the  sat- 
isfaction of  all  concerned. 

There  must  be  a  little  bird  in  every  bough  to  carry 
news,  it  flies  so  fast.  As  soon  as  this  new  decision 
was  made,  a  group  of  these  same  girls  appeared  at  the 
schoolroom  door  to   escort  me  home.     It  was  their 


OLD   FOKT   CHILDKEN  67 

custom  to  hop  around  behind  me,  much  like  a  flock 
of  blackbirds ;  and  like  these  birds,  too,  they  chattered 
all  the  time.  I  heard  one  girl  say  to  another  that  she 
was  coming  to  my  school  now.  The  other  indignantly 
repudiated  the  idea. 

"  Not  so,  gal !  That's  a  story,"  she  said.  "  Yes,  us 
is  too  ! "  said  another,  with  vehement  gesticulations. 
"  Her  b'longs  to  we  now,  an'  us  b'longs  to  she,"  and 
they  marched  on  triumphantly. 

The  refugees  were  vastly  worse  off  than  the  plan- 
tation people.  They  literally  had  nothing  to  wear, 
and  the  weather  had  become  very  cold.  Women 
came  to  me  with  only  a  skirt  on,  made  of  coarse  bag- 
ging, or  "crocus,"  tied  together  with  twine,  and  a 
nondescript  garment  over  the  shoulders,  something 
between  a  shawl  and  a  sack,  made  of  old  bits  of  car- 
peting. Girls  wore  soldiers'  cast-off  jackets  and  over- 
coats, and  boys  had  on  calico  sacks.  Many  of  the 
children  had  on  but  one  garment,  which  was  like  a 
long  smock-frock.  In  this  guise  they  all  looked  alike ; 
especially  as  men,  women,  and  children  wore  pieces 
'of  old  cloth  tied  over  their  heads  to  keep  out  the  cold. 

Grammatically  speaking,  gender  in  school  was  hope- 
lessly mixed.  Him  and  he  were  used  indiscrimi- 
nately. A  woman  would  call  her  husband  "  the 
ole  man."  One  man  said  of  his  wife,  "The  ole  hen, 
he  mighty  keerful." 

A  more  grotesque-looking  crowd  was  never  seen, 
nor  a  merrier  one  either.  Their  grotesqueness  came 
from  necessity ;  each  one  had  put  on  the  thing  that 
came  first  to  his  hand.     Their  merriment  was  partly 


6S  FIRST  DAYS   WITH  THE   CONTRABANDS 

characteristic  of  the  race,  but  also  a  hopefulness  and 
faith  in  the  good  time  coming.  It  seemed  but  fair 
to  help  those  people  first  who,  in  their  flight,  had  left 
their  few  possessions  behind  them. 

Irregularity, 

Whilst  the  zeal  of  these  people  for  learning  never 
flagged,  they  had  no  possible  conception  of  time,  or 
the  fitness  of  things.  Men,  women,  and  children 
hurried  to  the  schoolhouse  at  all  hours  and  at  most 
unseasonable  times,  expecting  ''to  catch  a  lesson." 
Reproof  was  unheeded,  or  not  understood ;  "  Us  had 
something  particular  to  do,"  was  the  invariable  ex- 
cuse. Finally  I  told  the  children  to  start  for  school 
as  soon  as  they  had  eaten  their  breakfast.  This  had 
no  effect.  I  learned  in  time  that  breakfast,  as  we 
understand  it,  was  to  them  an  unknown  term.  They 
ate  when  they  were  hungry.  Then  I  said,  "  Come  as 
soon  as  you  are  up."  The  next  morning  by  daylight 
I  heard  a  low  chattering  and  suppressed  laughter,  and 
looking  out  of  my  window  I  saw  the  piazza  was  filled 
with  black  heads.  An  eager  crowd  was  waiting  for 
me.  Every  morning  after  that  the  whole  "  gang  " 
came  to  escort  me  to  school.  Usually  one  bolder 
than  the  rest  would  come  to  the  door  and  announce, 
"  Us  waiting  on  you,  ma'am."  I  soon  began  to  feel 
that  it  was  I  who  was  under  supervision  and  kept  up 
to  my  duty,  and  not  my  poor  neighbors.  In  order  to 
establish  regularity  and  to  push  things  on,  we  had 
sewing-school  every  Saturday. 

Most  of  the  boys  felt  aggrieved.     They  begged  to 


IBREGtJLARITY  69 

be  allowed  to  sew  too.  "  Tain't  fair,"  we  heard  them 
say  ;  ''  Dem  gals  has  all  de  t'ings."  So  in  time,  when 
our  stock  of  goods  increased,  we  had  a  class  of  boys 
xin  sewing,  some  of  whom  did  most  creditable  work. 

I  use  the  word  "  we  "  with  great  satisfaction,  for 
my  military  friends  stood  by  me  all  winter,  lending  a 
helping  hand  when  and  where  they  could.  Without 
their  aid  I  should  have  been  working  alone.  Many 
days  I  never  saw  a  white  face  from  morning  until 
dark.  Literally  I  ''  paddled  my  own  canoe,"  as  the 
negroes  say. 

In  time  some  of  the  most  industrious  girls  finished 
their  new  dresses,  —  stitching,  overcasting,  buttons, 
and  buttonholes,  —  ready  to  carry  home  and  to  wear 
to  Sunday-school  the  next  day.  This  was  indeed  a 
great  occasion.  The  delight  of  the  possessors  was 
inexpressible,  while  the  admiration  of  the  beholders 
was  very  manifest.  To  our  surprise,  no  matter  how 
destitute  were  those  less  fortunate,  they  showed 
neither  envy  nor  jealousy.  The  delight  of  one  was 
shared  by  all.  4 

The  entire  school  was  nearly  upset  and  demoral- 
ized when  thirty  new  dresses  were  finished  and  folded 
ready  to  be  carried  home.  The  children  suppressed 
their  mirth  as  best  they  coulcj  until  they  got  out-of- 
doors.  Then  their  pent-up  spirits  burst  forth  ;  such 
shouts  and  guffaws  as  they  gave.  They  knocked 
each  other  in  the  ribs,  rolled  over  and  over,  and 
turned  somersaults,  and  did  all  sorts  of  funny  things. 
We  laughed  heartily  in  sympathy  as  we  sat  down  on 
the  piazza,  and  drew  a  long  breath  of  relief  after  a 
very  hard  day's  work. 


70  FIRST   DAYS   WITH   THE   CONTRABANDS 

Northern  Friends. 

During  this  time  my  Northern  friends,  individually 
and  collectively,  were  doing  their  utmost  to  help  on 
the  work  "amongst  the  freedmen."  The  Freedman's 
Aid  Society  of  Boston  was  constantly  forwarding  sup- 
plies to  the  different  posts  where  schools  were  estab- 
lished. But  in  our  unsettled  condition,  it  was  ex- 
tremely difficult  to  get  hold  of  the  things  intended 
for,  and  sent  to  us.  Innumerable  boxes  and  bundles, 
big  and  little,  went  astray.  How  many  hours  and 
days  of  patient  watching  and  waiting  we  have  spent 
looking  for  the  things  we  knew  had  been  sent,  but 
never  came ! 

The  best  gift  of  all  was ''Miss  Fannie,'^  who  was 
forwarded  to  me  just  after  New  Year's,  ostensibly  to 
be  my  assistant.  But  I  halt  at  the  word,  for  she  was 
everything  to  me,  and  to  the  poor  people  around  me. 
Young,  active,  and  enthusiastic,  fresh  from  school, 
with  all  the  new  methods  of  study  and  teaching,  she 
inspired  an  admiration  and  enthusiasm  which  fell 
little  short  of  hero  worship. 

I  say  she  was  sent,  for  those  were  the  days  of  red 
tape  and  military  discipline.  No  one  could  enter 
this  field  of  labor  without  a  certain  selection  and 
ordination. 

My  pastor,  Mr.  James  Freeman  Clarke,  of  the 
Church  of  Disciples,  Boston,  had  already  written, 
"When  you  need  an  assistant,  we  are  ready  to  adopt 
her  and  help  her  to  get  to  you."  The  time  had  come, 
and  Miss  Fannie  was  started,  but  was  stopped  in  New 


NORTHERN   FRIENDS  71 

York,  and  told  that  no  female  could  be  allowed  to 
cross  the  military  lines  for  any  cause  whatever,  no 
matter  how  urgent  was  the  call.  This  was  an  irrev- 
ocable order.  A  great  many  officers'  wives  wishing 
,to  join  their  husbands,  were  waiting  around  the 
''Transportation  Bureau"  for  the  necessary  papers 
or  '^permits." 

Some  of  the  officers  in  power  were  extremely 
rough,  and  even  brutal,  in  their  refusals. 

One  lady  drove  to  the  office  and  demanded  a  pass- 
port, but  was  unceremoniously  refused. 

"  You   don't  know  who  I   am,"  she  said  angrily. 

"  I  am  Mrs.  General ,"  mentioning  the  name  of 

a  superior  officer. 

"  I  don't  care  if  you  are  Mrs.  Jesus  Christ,  you 
should  not  go,"  was  the  rough  and  profane  answer.^ 

I  mention  this  only  to  show  the  spirit  of  the  times. 
Not  long  after  this  these  restrictions  were  removed, 
and  teachers  and  nurses  were  granted  permits  to 
enter  the  department  as  before.  So  Miss  Fannie 
came  in  due  time.  She  stopped  first  at  headquar- 
ters, and  was  then  sent  in  an  ambulance  down  to  me. 
The  first  I  saw  of  her  she  was  standing  in  the  school- 
room door  radiant  with  delight.  The  children  began 
to  buzz,  so  I  gave  an  extra  recess  ;  but  they  only 
gathered  around  the  door  on  the  piazza  and  gazed 
at  us. 

"  Who  da  him  ?  "  I  heard  them  say. 

"  Him's  Miss  Fonnie,"  said  one  girl,  with  superior 
knowledge,  having  heard  me  speak  the  name. 

''  Oh,  but  him's  prime  !  "  they  declared. 


72  FIRST  BAYS   WITH  THE  CONTRABANDS 

Christmas  came  on  Sunday,  and  was  a  day  long  to 
to  be  remembered.  I  had  wished  to  give  the  day- 
scholars  some  Christmas  gifts,  but  my  supply  was 
very  small.  I  had,  indeed,  only  a  box  of  thread, 
needles,  and  small  wares,  given  me  by  one  of  the 
"  Disciples,"  whose  forethought  I  should  have  re- 
garded as  almost  inspiration,  did  I  not  know  her 
kindly  deeds  were  perpetually  overflowing.  These 
were  my  gifts,  and  nothing  could  have  been  more 
acceptable,  —  to  each  girl  a  needle,  to  each  woman  a 
needle  and  a  "  hank  "  of  thread,  and  to  the  men  and 
boys,  picture  papers.  But  the  boys  begged  "  fur  one 
needle  too,"  which  I  gave,  to  their  infinite  delight. 
They  wanted  their  needles  threaded  with  white  cot- 
ton ;  then  they  stuck  them  on  the  side  of  their  coats, 
or  jackets,  or  shirts,  and  wound  the  thread  round  and 
round  securely.  A  few  of  the  boys  gave  their  needles 
to  their  mothers,  but  most  of  them  wore  them  as  orna- 
ments for  months. 

Since  then,  through  the  generous  kindness  of 
Northern  friends,  we  have  had  many  festivals,  and 
valuable  and  useful  gifts  for  the  freed  people.  But 
nothing  has  ever  been  received  with  more  manifest 
gratitude  and  delight  than  the  first  Christmas  pres- 
ent of  one  needle. 

Christmas  Night, 

We  invited  all  the  people  in  our  neighborhood  to 
have  a  praise-meeting  Sunday  night  in  the  school- 
house.  We  wished  to  make  this  occasion  for  us 
all  what  they  would  call  a  jubilee.     So  we  dressed 


CHRISTMAS   NIGHT  73 

the  house  with  a  profusion  of  evergreens  and  gray- 
moss,  and  illuminated  it  with  many  rows  of  candles. 
Over  two  hundred  black  people  assembled  before 
dark,  and  the  house  was  absolutely  packed.  Long 
before  we  reached  the  place  we  could  see  the  bright 
lights,  which  cast  a  glow  over  the  trees  and  far  out 
upon  the  water.  We  could  also  hear  their  shouting 
songs,  with  the  clapping  of  hands  and  stamping  of 
feet.  I  fancied  that  in  the  rhythm  I  could  follow  the 
lines  of  Whittier's  "  Song  of  the  Negro  Boatmen : "  — 

*'  Oh,  praise  an'  tanks !    De  Lord  he  come 
To  set  de  people  free ! 
An'  massa  t'ink  it  day  ob  doom, 

An'  we  ob  jubilee. 
De  Lord  dat  heap  de  Red  Sea  waves, 

He  jes'  as  trong  as  den ; 
He  say  de  word,  — we  las'  night  slaves, 
To-day,  —  de  Lord's  free  men. 

De  yam  will  grow,  de  cotton  blow, 

We'  11  hab  de  rice  an'  corn, 
Oh,  nebber  you  fear  if  nebber  you  hear 
De  driber  blow  his  horn. 

We  pray  de  Lord ;  he  gib  us  signs 

Dat  some  day  we  be  free ; 
De  norf  wind  tell  it  to  de  pines, 

De  wild  duck  to  de  sea. 
We  t'ink  it  w'en  de  church  bells  ring; 

We  dream  it  in  de  dream. 
De  rice-bird  moan  it  w'en  it  sings, 

De  eagle  w'en  he  scream. 
De  yam  will  grow,  etc. 

We  know  de  promise  nebber  fail, 

An'  nebber  lie  de  Word ; 
So  like  de  'postle  in  de  jail, 

We  waited  for  de  Lord ; 


74  FIRST  DAYS   WITH   THE   CONTRABANDS 

An'  now  he  open  ebery  door, 

An'  t'row  away  de  key! 
He  t'ink  we  lub  him  so  before, 

We  lub  him  better  free. 
De  yam  will  grow,  etc.'' 

As  we  neared  the  house  we  congratulated  ourselves 
upon  its  brilliant  appearance ;  but  when  we  entered 
the  room  the  lights  seemed  to  have  gone  out,  the 
darkness  was  so  dense  and  the  shadows  so  deep.  All 
the  light  was  absorbed  by  the  mass  of  black  faces. 

I  told  the  church  leaders  to  go  on  with  the  ser- 
vices as  if  we  were  not  present  ;  thereupon  one  of 
the  elders  adjusted  a  huge  pair  of  spectacles  and  took 
up  a  book,  which  he  pretended  to  read.  He  chose 
the  "  one  t'ousand  nine  hundred  and  sebenty -eight 
hj'mn,"  and  proceeded  to  ''  line  off  " 

"  Why  do  we  mourn  departed  friends," 

which  we  thought  very  appropriate  under  the  cir- 
cumstances. Then  the  whole  congregation  sang  with 
tremendous  force,  drawling  the  words. 

One  of  the  members  made  a  long  prayer,  which 
was  wonderfully  intoned;  then  the  leader  asked  me' 
to  preach  to  them.  I  replied  there  was  but  one  ser- 
mon fitting  this  occasion,  and  I  read  the  whole  of 
Christ's  Sermon  on  the  Mount,  first  explaining  to 
them  the  meaning  of  the  evergreens  and  wreaths, 
the  cross  and  illuminations,  typical  of  Christ's  life 
and  teachings.  They  gave  breathless  attention  to  all 
this,  ejaculating  from  time  to  time,  "My  Lord!  is 
datso?" 


EMANCIPATION   CELEBRATION  75 

I  know  now  they  understood  very  little  of  all  I  said, 
but  no  speaker  ever  had  more  interested  and  atten- 
tive listeners.  When  I  sat  down,  one  of  the  leaders 
chanted  rather  than  spoke  a  touching  prayer,  in  which 
he  styled  me  his  "  dear  imperial  preacher." 

Then  the  white  friends  sang,  — 

**  Joy  to  the  world,  the  Lord  has  come; '' 

upon  which  Father  Major  got  up  and  made  a  low 
bow,  saying,  ''  Dem  sing  jes'  like  de  mocking-birds." 
By  this  time  the  entire  audience  was  aroused  and 
and  ready  to  pray  and  sing  all  night.  In  each  prayer 
the  speaker  tried  to  introduce,  in  his  uncouth  phrase- 
ology, some  of  the  passages  of  Scripture  he  had  heard 
read.  At  the  close  each  one  of  this  great  crowd 
came  to  shake  hands,  thanking  us  for  the  good  time 
they  had  had.  The  next  morning  several  women 
called  to  thank  me  for  my  "  beautiful  preachment." 

Emancipation  Celebration. 

The  contrabands  had  a  great  emancipation  celebra- 
tion in  Beaufort  on  New  Year's,  at  which  General 
Saxton  and  all  his  officers  were  present.  As  we  stood 
on  the  steps  of  the  library  building  and  looked  upon 
the  crowd  below,  it  seemed  like  a  great  sea  of  black 
heads.  Some  of  our  friends  estimated  there  were 
five  thousand  contrabands  present.  General  Saxton, 
"  Father  Hunn,"  <-'  Mr.  Judge,"  —  as  they  called  the 
general  superintendent,  —  Mr.  Tomlinson,  "  Parson 
French,"  and  many  others,  made  stirring  speeches. 
There  must  have  been  some  in  this  crowd  who  under- 


76  FIRST   DAYS   WITH   THE   CONTRABANDS 

stood  what  was  said  —  the  mass  did  not.  But  all 
knew  they  were  admonished  to  do  their  best.  Many 
were  the  exclamations,  "  That's  so,  massa !  "  "  You 
is  right !  "  "  We'll  do  so,  sure  !  " 

A  good-looking  negress,  dressed  as  the  Goddess  of 
Liberty,  sang,  "  In  that  New  Jerusalem,"  which  is 
the  Marseillaise  of  the  slaves.  As  she  waved  her 
banner,  the  entire  crowd  took  up  the  chorus  with  a 

shout,  — 

*' In  that  New  Jerusalem, 
I  am  not  afraid  to  die ; 
We  must  fight  for  liberty, 
In  that  New  Jerusalem." 

The  effect  was  electrical. 

This  was  not  the  first  time  the  freed  people  had 
come  together  to  celebrate  their  emancipation ;  but  it 
was  a  new  era  to  a  large  majority.  At  this  time 
there  were  but  few,  if  any,  who  had  faith  in  their 
freedom,  or  who  understood  what  it  meant.  The  new 
people  who  were  constantly  coming  into  the  lines 
were  just  awakening  to  the  fact  that  they  were  en- 
titled to  "  life,  liberty,  and  the  pursuit  of  happiness." 

Two  years  before  this  there  was  a  great  emanci- 
pation celebration  in  the  Old  Fort  Grove,  where  the 
slaves  were  told  for  the  first  time  that  they  were  free. 
It  was  most  fitting  that  such  a  jubilee  should  be  held 
in  this,  one  of  the  grandest  of  "  God's  first  temples." 
The  words  of  the  poet  Mr.  Judd  reverberated 
through  its  arches  :  — 

"This  day  is  the  birthtime  of  millions  ! 
The  dawn  of  the  year  sixty-three 
Will  be  marked  on  the  dial  of  ages. 
The  hour  when  a  Bace  became  free  ! 


ema:n^cipation  celebration  77 

As  if  from  a  sky  gray  and  clouded, 

And  hung  with  deep  gloom,  like  a  pall, 
The  mists  were  rolled  back,  and  the  sunlight 

Streamed  glad  rays  of  splendor  o'er  all. 

What  though  in  the  list  of  the  nations 

We  long  have  been  proudly  enrolled, 
,  And  the  stars  and  the  stripes  of  our  banners 

Have  floated  defiant  and  bold  ! 

What  though  with  unequalled  devotion, 

Our  fathers  imperilled  their  lives. 
Securing  the  guerdon  of  Fkeedom 

Forever  to  children  and  wives  ! 

If  yet,  on  the  air  of  each  morning 

The  wail  of  the  down-trodden  rise, 
And  victims  of  tyranny  holden 

Still  vainly  solicit  the  skies  : 

If  yet  in  the  valleys,  on  mountains 

Made  sacred  by  liberty's  fires. 
Oppression  still  rivets  its  fetter, 

And  sons  are  still  slaves  like  their  sires  ! 

But  hark  !  from  the  people's  tribunal 

A  voice  sends  its  echoes  afar. 
Sweet  echoes  —  and  multitudes  hear  them 

Above  all  the  din  of  the  war. 

For  Justice,  aroused  from  long  slumbers. 

Goes  forth,  and  a  glad  jubilee 
Is  his  herald  most  welcome,  proclaiming, 

*  The  set  time  has  come  ;  ye  are  free  ! ' 

Let  us  shout,  '  We  are  free  ! '  till  these  islands 

Resound  with  the  jubilant  strain, 
And,  catching  it  up,  the  enfranchised 

Shall  thunder  it  west,  o'er  the  *  main '  ! 

Shall  thunder  it  o'er  the  savannas, 
And  down  the  broad  streams,  till  the  sea 

Rolls  back  like  a  grand  anthem  chorus 
The  shout,  '  We  are  free  !  we  are  free  P  '* 


78  FIEST   DAYS    WITH   THE   COKTEABANDS 

And  shout  they  did,  again  and  again,  and  then 
sang,  — 

^'My  country,  'tis  of  thee, 
Sweet  land  of  liberty," 

with  a  force  that  might  have  moved  mountains.  For 
the  first  time  a  race  could  say,  '-^  My  country  —  land 
of  liberty." 

"  The  Nigger's  Heaven.'^'' 

For  a  long  time  Beaufort  had  been  called  the 
"Nigger's  Heaven,"  and  the  ''Black  County,"  names 
which  have  clung  to  it  ever  since.  Contrabands  were 
coming  into  the  Union  lines,  and  thence  to  the  town, 
not  only  daily,  but  hourly.  They  came  alone  and  in 
families  and  in  gangs,  —  slaves  who  had  been  hiding 
away,  and  were  only  now  able  to  reach  safety.  Dif- 
ferent members  of  scattered  families  following  after 
freedom,  as  surely  and  safely  guided  as  were  the 
Wise  Men  by  the  Star  of  the  East. 

On  New  Year's  Day  I  walked  around  amongst 
these  people  with  Major  Saxton.  We  went  to  their 
tents  and  other  quarters.  One  hundred  and  fifty 
poor  refugees  from  Georgia  had  been  quartered  all 
day  on  the  wharf.  A  wretched  and  most  pitiable 
gang,  miserable  beyond  description.  But  when  we 
spoke  to  them,  they  invariably  gave  a  cheerful  answer. 
Usually  to  our  question,  "•  How  do  you  do  ?  "  the 
response  would  be,  ''  Thank  God,  I  live  !  " 

Sometimes  they  would  say,  ''Us  ain't  no  wusser 
than  us  been." 

These  people  had  been  a  long  time  without  food, 


NEGKOES   ON   THE   MARCH  79 

excepting  a  little  hominy  and  uncooked  rice  and  a 
few  ground-nuts.  Many  were  entirely  naked  when 
they  started,  and  all  were  most  scantily  clothed,  and 
we  had  already  had  some  extremely  cold  days,  which 
we,  who  were  fresh  from  the  North,  found  hard  to 
bear. 

It  was  the  same  old  story.  These  poor  creatures 
were  covered  only  with  blankets,  or  bits  of  old 
carpeting,  or  pieces  of  bagging,  ''  crocus,"  fastened 
with  thorns  or  sharp  sticks. 

Negroes  on  the  March, 

General  H.  W.  Slocum,  major-general  commanding 
left  wing  Army  of  Georgia,  reported :  — 

*^  Negro  men,  women,  and  children  joined  the  columns  at  every 
mile  of  our  march,  many  of  them  bringing  horses  and  mules,  which 
they  cheerfully  turned  over  to  the  quartermaster's  department. 
I  think  at  least  fourteen  thousand  of  these  people  joined  the  two 
columns  at  different  points  on  the  march  ;  but  many  of  them  were 
too  old  and  infirm,  and  others  too  young,  to  endure  the  fatigue  of 
the  march,  and  were  left  in  the  rear.  More  than  one-half  of  this 
number,  however,  reached  the  coast  with  us.  Many  of  the  able- 
bodied  men  were  transferred  to  the  officers  and  subsistence  depart- 
ment, and  others  were  employed  in  the  corps,  as  teamsters,  cooks, 
and  servants.'' 

Brigadier  A.  S.  Williams  also  reported:  — 

**  Negroes  of  all  ages  and  every  variety  of  physical  condition, 
from  the  infant  in  its  mother's  arms  to  the  decrepit  old  man, 
joined  the  column,  —  from  plantation  and  from  cross-roads,  singly, 
and  in  large  groups,  on  foot,  on  horseback,  and  in  every  descrip- 
tion of  vehicle.  The  vehicles  were  discarded  as  obstructing  the 
progress  of  our  very  long  column.  Beyond  this  no  effort  was 
made  to  drive  away  the  fugitives.    The  decrepit,  the  aged,  and  the 


80  FIKST   DAYS    WITH   THE   CONTRABANDS 

feeble,  were  told  of  the  long  journey  before  them,  and  advised  to 
remain  behind. 

*'  I  estimated  that  from  six  to  eight  thousand  slaves,  at  different 
points  in  the  campaign,  joined  the  march  of  this  corps,  of  whom 
something  over  two  thousand  five  hundred  reached  our  camp  be- 
fore Savannah. 

'^  About  one  thousand  seven  hundred,  of  whom  one-third  were 
able-bodied,  were,  on  account  of  scarcity  of  subsistence,  placed  in 
colony  at  the  Coleraim  Plantation,  on  the  Savannah  River,  and 
plentifully  supplied  with  rice,  and  occasionally  with  beef.  The 
able-bodied  men  were  employed  in  transporting  rice  from  the 
islands,  and  in  working  rice-mills.  Four  to  five  hundred  (not  of 
the  colony),  found  employment  as  officers'  servants  and  teamsters 
for  the  government." 

Many  of  those  "  left  in  the  rear  "  had  straggled 
along  until  they  reached  Beaufort.  Some  had  come 
by  short  journeys  from  plantation  to  plantation,  cross- 
ing from  the  mainland  to  the  island  in  old  rotten 
dugouts.  There  was  a  steady  stream  of  stragglers 
pouring  into  town  day  and  night. 

Superintendents  had  their  hands  more  than  full  in 
finding  places  for  and  issuing  rations  to  these  poor 
refugees.  Those  sent  to  plantations  were  allowed  a 
piece  of  ground  for  garden,  in  which  to  raise  corn, 
potatoes,  and  ground-nuts.  Only  the  most  helpless 
were  quartered  out,  —  the  old  people,  and  women 
whose  husbands  were  in  the  colored  regiments,  and 
the  young  children.  Families  were  scattered  around, 
and  at  first  many  of  the  women  found  themselves 
aftiongst  strangers.  This  was  a  sore  trial.  They  are 
social  and  gregarious  creatures,  and  cannot  endure  to 
be  alone. 

In  old  times  all  plantation  changes  and  business 


NEaBOES   ON  THE  MAKCH  81 

arrangements  were  made  at  New  Year's.  So  now  these 
scattered  people  determined  to  get  back  to  ''  massa's 
niggers  "  by  some  means  or  other,  and  great  was  the 
moving  about.  The  superintendents  were  full  of 
care,  and  at  tlieir  wits'  end  to  know  what  to  do. 

Our  plantation.  Smith's,  or  Old  Fort,  was  a  favor- 
ite resort,  partly  because  it  was  easy  of  access,  and 
partly  on  account  of  the  refugee  village  on  "-  Mon'- 
gomery  Hill."  After  New  Year's  we  often  found  two 
families  in  one  house  where  there  was  but  one  before. 
Our  superintendent  was  known  to  be  kind  and 
straightforward  with  these  people,  and  they  were 
delighted  to  work  for  him. 

''  Tell  him  us'll  give  our  eyes  for  him,"  said  an 
old  man  to  me. 


82  FIRST  DAYS   WITH  THE  CONTRABANDS 


VI 


MY  PARISH 


"  The  poor  ye  have  always  with  you."  This  was 
impressed  upon  me  all  the  time.  It  was  necessary 
to  inspect  my  district,  now  crowded  with  new-comers, 
to  find  out  the  condition  and  needs  of  these  people. 

I  went  first  to  the  negro  quarters  at  the  "Battery 
Plantation,"  a  mile  and  a  half  away.  A  large  num- 
ber of  Georgia  refugees  who  had  followed  Sher- 
man's army  were  quartered  here.  Around  the  old 
plantation  house  was  a  small  army  of  black  children, 
who  swarmed  like  bees  around  a  hive.  There  were 
six  rooms  in  the  house,  occupied  by  thirty-one  persons, 
big  and  little.  In  one  room  was  a  man  whom  I  had 
seen  before.  He  was  very  light,  with  straight  red 
hair  and  a  sandy  complexion,  and  I  mistook  him  for 
an  Irishman.  He  had  been  to  me  at  one  time  griev- 
ing deeply  for  the  loss  of  his  wife,  but  he  had  now 
consoled  himself  with  a  buxom  girl  as  black  as  ink. 
His  sister,  a  splendidly  developed  creature,  was  with 
them.  He  had  also  four  sons.  Two  were  as  light  as 
himself,  and  two  were  very  black.  These  seven  per- 
sons occupied  this  one  room.     A  rough  box  bedstead. 


MY  PARISH  83 

with  a  layer  of  moss  and  a  few  old  rags  in  it,  a  hominy 
pot,  two  or  three  earthen  plates,  and  a  broken-backed 
chair,  comprised  all  the  furniture  of  the  room.  I  had 
previously  given  one  of  the  women  a  needle  and  some 
thread,  and  she  now  sat  on  the  edge  of  the  rough 
bedstead  trying  to  sew  the  dress  she  ought,  in  de- 
cency, to  have  had  on. 

In  the  old  kitchen,  not  far  from  the  house,  more 
refugees  had  been  placed.  Two  women  were  very 
ill,  lying  on  the  floor  with  only  moss  and  corn-husks 
under  them.  It  was  a  most  pitiful  sight.  One 
of  these  women  begged  for  a  blanket,  but  the  other 
asked  for  better  food. 

"I  cannot  eat  only  dry  hominy,  ma'am,"  she  said. 
"  I  lived  in  massa's  house,  and  used  to  have  white 
bread  and  coffee,  and  I  want  something  sweet  in  my 
mouth." 

She  had  belonged  to  kind  and  careful  owners  in 
Georgia,  and  suffered  severely  from  all  these  changes. 

The  dialect  of  these  people  was  very  different  from 
the  speech  of  the  islanders  :  they  spoke  clearly  and 
distinctly. 

Both  of  these  women  died.  Feeling  they  could 
not  live,  to  my  surprise  and  consternation,  they  willed 
me  their  children.  In  one  family  there  were  five  chil- 
dren, and  in  the  other  but  one  boy.  The  old  feeling, 
born  of  slavery,  that  the  white  race  had  a  right  of 
possession  over  the  blacks,  still  clung  to  them.  They 
not  only  gave  me  their  children,  but  tried  to  exact 
from  me  a  promise  to  keep  them  and  take  good  care 
of  them.  When  I  hesitated,  they  implored  me  most 
piteously  not  to  desert  them. 


84  FIRST   DAYS   WITH   THE   CONTRABANDS 

Three  of  these  children  died  not  long  after  the 
mother,  and  I  am  happy  to  say  the  others  were  "well 
placed."  In  time  one  of  the  boys  was  married,  on 
which  occasion  I  gave  him  a  suit  of  second-hand 
clothing  and  a  long  chapter  of  good  advice.  He 
bowed  and  laughed  merrily,  thinking  much  of  the 
clothing,  and  I  hope  a  little  of  the  advice. 

The  plantation  people  lived  in  "  the  nigger 
houses."  Most  of  these  people  had  been  carried 
'  "  up  country  "  by  their  old  owners,  but  had  now  got 
back,  delighted  to  see  again  the  familiar  places  and 
the  cabins  where  they  were  born.  They  seemed  to 
me,  as  I  talked  with  them,  a  superior  class ;  more 
tidy  and  self-respecting  than  most  of  the  new-com- 
ers, —  owing,  doubtless,  to  the  care  and  good  manage- 
ment of  their  former  owners. 

On  the  next  plantation  was  a  curious  collection 
of  the  original  people  and  new-comers.  All  might 
be  called  refugees,  for  they  had  recently  returned 
"  from  the  main,"  where  they  had  been  carried  —  not 
fled  to. 

In  one  cabin  I  found  a  man  in  a  most  wretched 
condition.  Years  before  he  had  fallen  from  a  build- 
ing and  broken  his  back.  In  the  vicissitudes  of  war 
he  was  left  alone  and  destitute,  a  most  repulsive  ob- 
ject, a  thousand  times  worse  off  than  a  caged  animal 
cared  for  by  his  keeper.  He  was  grateful  for  the  few 
scraps  thrown  him  like  a  dog  in  his  kennel.  He  was 
only  able  to  use  his  hands,  and  he  looked  like  a  hu- 
man ball  rolling  over  the  floor. 

I   had   his   cabin   cleaned   and   whitewashed,  and 


MY  PARISH  85 

fresh,  clean  clothes  put  on  the  poor  fellow.  He  tried 
in  vain  to  find  words  to  express  his  gratitude.  In  all 
my  interviews  with  him  I  never  heard  a  word  of 
c6mplaint,  although  his  sufferings  must  have  been 
extreme. 

"  Bless  the  Lord,  missis  !  "  he  said,  "  'tain't  no  use 
to  fret  about  it,  for  it  can't  be  helpt ;  an'  I  ain't  all 
the  time  so  racket  about  wid  pain  as  I  used  to  bin. 
Sometimes  at  night  I'se  so  painful  I  can't  shet  my 
eye,  an'  den  I  look  out  de  doah,  up  at  the  stars,  an' 
t'ink  dem  de  eyes  of  de  Lord  looking  straight  down 
at  me  one.  An'  I  'member  what  de  white  folks  tell 
me,  'De  Lord  is  my  Shepherd,  I  shall  not  want ; '  for 
in  course  I  is  His  little  sheep,  an'  I  is  so  glad !  It 
'pears  like  the  pain  don't  hurt  me  no  more.  I  done 
forget  it  altogedder." 

O  blessed  faith,  which  can  brighten  and  cheer  such 
a  wretched  life !  Often,  in  deep  humility,  have  I 
thought  of  these  disciples,  poor  and  despised  of  men, 
but  rich  in  these  treasures  of  divine  faith  and  love. 

One  woman  in  that  neighborhood  was  called 
''Titty  Sugar."  She  had  a  little  boy  and  girl  named 
Manasses  and  Auty. 

Another  woman,  whose  husband  was  in  the  army, 
came  to  the  school.  She  said,  "  I  use'  to  live  in  town 
with  missis  in  ole  '  secesh  times ; '  "  and  she  evidently 
considered  herself  superior  to  the  people  around  her. 
To  my  question  she  said,  "  Don'  know  how  ole  I  is, 
but  'specs  I  isn't  a  chicken."  Indeed,  she  looked 
quite  like  an  old  hen.  She  was  eager  "to  learn  her 
book,"  and  she  succeeded  very  well. 


86  FIEST  DAYS   WITH   THE  CONTRABANDS 

There  was  a  colony  of  Georgia  refugees  at  Fort 
Charlotte,  about  two  miles  from  the  schoolhouse. 
They  were  an  unusually  intelligent  and  self-respect- 
ing class. 

In  my  district  there  were  over  five  hundred  contra- 
bands, men,  women,  and  children.  All  expressed  a 
desire  to  have  their  children  learn  something,  if  they 
themselves  knew  nothing.  But  all,  from  the  oldest 
to  the  youngest,  were  eager  to  ''  come  fur  larn  too." 

I  found  but  one  person,  a  young  soldier,  who  dis- 
dained to  attempt  anything,  saying,  almost  with 
insolence,  that  he  had  a  right  to  learn  when  young, 
like  other  boys ;  this  was  denied  him  then,  and  he 
was  not  allowed  to  touch  a  book,  and  now  it  was  too 
late.  This  man  had  indomitable  will,  with  boldness, 
unceasing  activity,  and  great  physical  strength.  He 
was  a  power  with  his  race.  I  wished  to  gain  his 
influence  for  the  school,  as  well  as  his  own  good,  but 
could  never  do  it. 

One  contraband  said  to  me,  ''  Liberty  is  as  good 
for  us  as  for  the  birds  of  the  air.  Slavery  is  not  so 
bad,  but  liberty  is  so  good." 

He  spoke  with  great  affection  of  his  master,  who 
he  said  had  gone  to  live  in  Delaware. 

One  bright,  cool  morning  the  superintendent  and  I 
crossed  the  river  to  Cat  and  Cane  Islands.  We  were 
paddled  over  in  a  dugout,  managed  by  two  black 
boys,  Renty  and  Elijah,  who  laughed  and  sang  all  the 
time,  showing  the  whitest  of  white  teeth. 

We  were  met  and  cordially  welcomed  by  a  middle- 
aged  black  woman,  who  was  evidently  watching  for 


MY  PARISH  87 

US,  having  seen  the  boat  leave  the  opposite  shore. 
She  had  always  been  house-servant  and  dairy -woman, 
aujd  was  intelligent  and  tidy.  The  house-servants 
and  field-hands  were  like  two  different  races.  She 
escorted  us  'Hhrough  the  town,"  as  she  called  the 
negro  quarters,  and  gave  a  clear  and  highly  enter- 
taining history  of  the  people  living  there.  The  old 
plantation  house  had  been  burned,  and  no  white  per- 
son lived  on  the  island.  The  children  had  ''learned 
nothing,"  and  were  very  eager  to  have  a  school.  All 
the  people  clamored  for  this,  and  begged  me  to  come 
over  and  teach  them.     One  woman  said,  — 

"  O  missis !  us  want  to  larn  mighty  bad.  Us  ain't 
had  no  school,  but  us'll  do  anything  ef  you'll  come 
over  an'  larn  we." 

They  offered  "  to  fix  up  "  the  old  cotton-barn  for 
a  schoolhouse,  —  that  was  the  best  they  could  do, 
—  and  to  send  a  boat  daily  to  carry  a  teacher  back 
and  forth.  But  this  could  not  be  done.  The  small, 
insecure  boats,  on  this  broad  river,  which  is  an  arm 
of  the  sea,  with  the  uncertainty  of  the  weather,  made 
the  whole  plan  impracticable.  I  promised  to  do  what 
I  could  for  them.  For  a  time  they  tried  to  cross  the 
river  daily,  but  finally  many  families  moved  to  our 
side  "to  catch  edecation." 

The  negro  houses  on  these  islands  were  better 
built  and  better  arranged  than  any  I  had  seen  before. 
Around  each  was  a  yard  for  pigs  and  poultry,  and  a 
piece  of  ground  was  fenced  in  for  a  garden.  They 
had  a  refreshing  air  of  cleanliness  and  comfort.  These 
islands  had  not  been  devastated  and  laid  waste  like 
those  on  the  opposite  shore. 


88  FIRST  DAYS   WITH  THE   CONTRABANDS 

One  old  woman  seemed  overjoyed  to  see  a  white 
person  once  more.  She  bitterly  bewailed  her  poverty, 
because  she  had  not  something,  not  even  an  egg 
or  some  ground-nuts  to  put  into  my  hands.  She 
evidently  mistook  me  for  her  old  mistress  returned, 
and  wanted  to  know  how  I  had  been  all  this  long 
time,  and  how  all  my  folks  were.  Then  she  begged 
me  for  "  jest  one  needle  an'  a  bit  of  thread  to  patch 
her  old  coat  with."  Her  old  husband  was  called 
"  Daddy  Snicker."  They  all  thought  he  was  not  too 
old  too  learn. 

The  negro  quarters  consisted  of  two  rows  of  very 
small  houses,  built  on  each  side  of  a  narrow  road, 
which  was  not  much  more  than  a  foot-path.  The 
quarters  the  negroes  called  "a  town,"  and  the  paths 
a  "street." 

One  woman  who  called  her  boy  ''  Bone,"  said  he 
should  come  to  school  if  she  ''  had  to  bring  him  her- 
self." Another  woman  assured  me  her  children  could 
learn  well,  for  "both  have  very  good  tongues." 

The  history  of  those  days  can  never  be  written. 
In  each  small  neighborhood  were  romances,  come- 
dies, and  tragedies. 

In  times  of  trouble  the  contrabands  always  came 
to  their  teachers  for  help  and  advice.  Sometimes  we 
were  much  embarrassed  to  know  what  to  say  or  do. 
When  I  saw  their  implicit  confidence  in  our  knowl- 
edge and  sympathy,  I  found  it  very  hard  to  tell  them 
I  could  do  nothing. 

A  sick  woman  came  to  me  one  day,  who  was  suf- 
fering from  a  serious  organic  trouble.     After  listen- 


THE  NEW   BELL  89 

ing  to  her  story,  and  getting  all  the  facts,  I  said, 
''Auntie,  that  is  beyond  me.  I  really  do  not  know 
what  to  do  for  you." 

Her  look  of  astonishment  and  dismay  was  really 
startling,  as  she  exclaimed,  "  O  missis  !  You'na  can 
read  books,  an'  in  course  you  knows  more'na  we." 

Yes,  I  could  read  books,  but  they  did  not  tell  me 
everything.  In  fact,  I  soon  discovered  they  told  me 
very  little  of  what  I  needed  to  know  most. 

The  New  Bell. 

I  had  expressed  a  wish  for  a  bell  for  my  school- 
house,  hoping  to  bring  about  a  more  regular  attend- 
ance, with  less  delay.  Immediately  a  Boston  friend, 
who  had  been  in  the  department,  responded  by  send- 
ing me  just  what  I  needed.  Oh,  what  a  delight  was 
this  bell  to  the  whole  neighborhood !  The  children 
would  collect  around  the  house  very  early,  and  lie  on 
the  ground  waiting  and  watching  for  it  to  ring.  For 
a  long  time  this  was  a  mystery  incomprehensible  to 
them.  They  talked  often  to  each  other  about  "  we 
bell,"  and  seemed  to  feel  as  if  each  one  had  a  kind  of 
right  of  possession  in  it. 

"  Oh,  but  him  can  talk  loud  !  "  said  the  boys  with 
delight.  I  told  them  all  what  the  bell  was  for,  where 
it  came  from,  and  who  sent  it.  Without  consulting 
me  they  immediately  named  the  school  for  our  gener- 
ous friend,  ''  Hooper  School,  A  No.  1." 

The  children  were  allowed  to  take  turns  in  ringing 
the  bell ;  but  this  was  a  privilege  only  granted  as  9^ 
reward  for  good  behavior. 


90  FIRST  DAYS   WITH   THE   CONTBABANDS 

Hooper  School. 

After  New  Year's,  which  is  always  the  negroes' 
special  holiday,  school  began  again  in  earnest.  Early 
every  morning  the  children  crowded  my  piazza.  I 
asked  them  what  time  they  started  from  home.  One 
said, ''  At  first  cra<3k  o'  day."  Another  said,  ''  The  day 
had  clean  done  broke  w'en  I  lef  we  house,  but 
I  run  every  step  of  the  way."  The  children  talked 
of  "we  school"  as  ''Hooper  Bell  School." 

The  men  and  women  who  had  been  enrolled  and 
then  waited  "  to  get  in  their  tators,"  saying,  ''  W'en 
we'm  get  in  our  t'ings  we'm  sure  to  come,"  were  on 
hand.  It  was  often  dark  before  we  closed  our 
schoolroom  doors,  for  the  days  were  short,  and  there 
was  no  twilight.  We  had  school  on  Saturdays,  so  as 
to  keep  up  the  habit  of  regular  attendance.  This 
was  especially  children's  day,  as  the  older  people 
announced  they  ''  had  work  to  do,"  which  usually 
meant  "to  take  foot  to  Beefort,"  to  see  what  was 
going  on. 

One  fearfully  cold  day  I  went  to  the  schoolhouse 
early,  and  had  a  rousing  fire  built  before  any  one 
came.  Only  a  few  of  the  older  scholars  ventured 
out,  and  by  the  time  they  arrived  I  was  nearly  con- 
gealed. It  was  no  more  possible  to  heat  the  unceiled 
and  open  house,  than  it  would  be  the  open  grove. 
Besides,  the  smoke,  whicli  should  have  gone  out 
of  the  window,  blew  back  into  the  room  until  we 
were  nearly  suffocated.  Under  these  circumstances 
1  dismissed  the  cliildren   and  went  away,  greatly  to 


HOOPER   SCHOOL  91 

their  surprise  and  regret ;  "  Us'll  be  so  lonesome  ef 
us  go  away,"  they  said. 

Often  our  room  was  filled  to  overflowing  with 
men,  women,  and  children.  Miss  Fannie  had  come 
fresh  from  school,  full  of  zeal,  and  with  many  theo- 
ries for  the  advancement  of  the  contrabands.  But 
this  was  an  unexplored  field,  requiring  a  line  of  action 
not  mapped  out  in  any  book.  All  attempts  at  pre- 
cise order  and  orthodox  discipline  quenched  the  ar- 
dor of  her  pupils  and  set  their  wits  astray. 

"  Attention,  children,"  said  she ;  and  they  stared 
hopelessly  at  her,  and  not  an  answer  could  she  get 
to  any  question.  I  saw  her  color  rise,  and  a  look  of 
intense  weariness  come  over  her  before  the  morn- 
ing's work  was  done. 

"They  are  hopelessly  stupid!"  she  exclaimed,  as 
we  started  on  our  homeward  walk.  "  How  have  you 
endured  this  so  long?" 

''Wait  a  little,  and  see.  Don't  expect  too  much 
of  them  or  of  yourself,"  was  my  answer. 

The  next  day  was  not  much  better ;  but  she  be- 
came encouraged. 

''  To-morrow  I  shall  begin  over  again.  I  see  we 
do  not  understand  each  other,"  she  said.  After  that 
she  had  everything  her  own  way.  It  was  charming 
to  see  the  welcome  all  gave  her.  The  brightness  of 
youth  is  very  attractive  to  these  universal  children, 
who  never  seem  to  grow  old. 

There  was  a  good  deal  of  rivalry  in  the  classes, 
and  not  a  little  good-natured  joking  and  boasting 
amongst  the  scholars.     Every  one  was  eager  to  learu 


92  FIRST   DAYS   WITH   THE   CONTRABANDS 

something.  We  soon  began  to  see  an  improvement 
in  the  condition  of  the  scholars,  with  a  degree  of 
order  and  cleanliness.  If  any  were  absent,  they  sent 
excuses  like  the  following :  — 

"Please,  ma'am,  Pa  Smart  an'  Titty  say  they'm 
can't  come  to  school  to-day,  fur  dem  gone  to  bury 
one  of  massa's  niggers.  Him  dead  at  butcher-pen." 
The  writing  of  this  note  on  a  piece  of  a  paper 
bag  was  evidently  the  combined  effort  of  the  whole 
family. 

A  man  and  his  wife  stood  together  in  a  class  to 
read.  They  were  great  stalwart  creatures,  black  as 
ink.  Their  three  children  were  in  the  class  above 
them,  having  conquered  words  of  one  syllable. 

As  soon  as  the  parents  began  to  read,  the  chil- 
dren simultaneously  darted  to  their  sides  to  prompt 
them. 

"Boy!  daddy,  boy!  Him  don't  know  nothing," 
laughingly  said  Dick,  prompting  him. 

"Shut  you  mouf,  boy!  I  only  want  to  catch  dat 
word,  sure,"  the  pleased  father  answered,  scratching 
his  head. 

"Dem  chillen  too  smart.  I  ain't  know  what  to 
do  wid'  dem,"  declared  the  proud  mother. 

Their  boys,  Dick  and  London,  were  the  same 
size,  and  the  veriest  little  ragamuffins  that  could  be 
found.  Each  wore  a  shirt  and  old  pants  minus  but- 
tons ;  one  suspender,  a  piece  fastened  with  a  rusty 
nail  in  place  of  a  pin,  —  behold  their  entire  outfit ! 
One  day  they  had  an  old  hat,  minus  the  brim,  be- 
tweeu  them ;  but  this  soon  came  to  grief.     A  gust 


HOOPER   SCHOOL  93 

of  wind  took  it  off,  so  they  let  it  go.  They  always 
stood  in  the  class  with  an  arm  around  each  other's 
neck.  The  other  hand  was  used  to  hitch  up  their 
pants.  The  one  that  was  reading  always  stammered 
and  hesitated  over  the  simplest  words,  while  the 
other  prompted^  knowing  the  lesson  by  heart.  But 
when  he  tried  to  read,  he  stammered  in  the  same 
way.     They  evidently  learned  by  proxy. 

Their  sister  Jane  was  no  better  off  than  they, 
while  she  was  far  more  uncouth.  We  patiently 
struggled  to  teach  her  to  sew,  and  to  bring  about 
cleanliness  and  a  degree  of  order.  One  day  she  was 
fitted  out  with  an  entire  suit  of  good  clothing,  but 
in  a  few  days  she  was  just  as  badly  off  as  before. 

About  this  time  the  cotton  was  sold,  and  she  ap- 
peared in  the  schoolroom  with  an  astonishing  new 
hat  on  her  head.  It  was  a  white  straw,  with  a  bunch 
of  red,  blue,  and  green  rooster's  tail-feathers  stand- 
ing straight  up.  Her  feet  were  bare,  and  her  frock 
ragged  and  dirty ;  but  she  walked  into  the  room 
with  the  air  of  a  queen. 

''  Jane,  take  off  your  hat  and  hang  it  up." 

"  Dem  chillen  gwine  to  tief  it  ef  I  lef  him  out 
dar,"  was  her  reply. 

Quite  different  from  them  was  a  "Combee" 
woman,  who  came  to  school  daily  with  a  baby  in  her 
arms  and  two  boys  by  her  side.  They  all  stood  up 
to  read  together.  ' 

These  families  were  refugees.  They  have  all  re- 
turned to  their  old  homes  on  the  ''mainland."  Pri- 
mus, one  of   the  boys,  has  become  a  'teacher  and  a 


94  FIRST   DAYS    WITH   THE   CONTRABANDS 

preacher,  and  is  the  wise  man  of  that  neighborhood. 
His  mother  comes  to  see  me  once  a  year,  and  tells 
with  pride  of  her  boy's  position,  always  speaking  of 
him  as  an  "A  No.  1  scholar." 

''MirC  ChUer 

Babies !  There  was  a  host  of  them,  and  it  was  not 
easy  to  keep  them  away  from  school.  Even  the  ti- 
niest creatures  were  brought  along.  Each  child  had 
its  own  nurse,  and  all  wanted  to  be  in  school.  So  it 
was  arranged  that  one  girl  should  come  in  the  morn- 
ing and  get  a  lesson,  and  then  run  home  to  mind 
child,  and  let  the  nurse  come.  But  usually  the  one 
left  behind  would  come  on  with  the  baby  and  wait 
around  the  house  until  relieved.  She  always  brought 
with  her  a  tin  can  with  hominy  for  the  child  when 
hungry.  It  was  not  unusual  for  the  little  nurse  to 
appear  in  her  class  as  soon  as  it  was  called,  having 
passed  her  baby  along  to  any  friend  who  was  disen- 
gaged. There  must  have  been  some  signal  from  the 
window,  for  a  girl  would  ask  "  to  step  out  for  a  min- 
ute," when  the  baby-tender  would  return  in  her 
place. 

These  babies  needed  but  little  care ;  even  the 
youngest  would  eat  hominy  when  hungry,  and  then 
go  to  sleep.  I  have  seen  eight  and  ten  of  these  lit- 
tle black  creatures  asleep  on  the  piazza  at  a  time. 
Usually  the  nurse  would  take  off  her  apron  and 
spread  it  down  for  baby  to  lie  on ;  that  was  all. 
But,  at  the  best,  babies  were  very  confusing  to  the 
school.     Finally,  1  engaged  an  old  mauma  to  mind 


MISS   LIZZIE  95 

them  during  school  hours.  Now  the  little  girls  were 
happy.  Each  one  brought  her  charge  to  Aunt 
Clara's  house,  and  left  it  on  her  way  to  school.  It  was 
pleasant  to  look  in  upon  this  primitive  nursery  and 
^ee  these  pickaninnies  sitting  upon  the  well-sanded 
floors,  or  asleep  in  the  corner. 

Dogs, 

Our  greatest  trial  was  the  dogs.  No  colored  man 
considered  himself  safe,  or  even  respectable,  without 
one  or  more  miserable-looking  curs.  These  always 
ran  around  after  the  children,  and  darted  into  the 
schoolroom  whenever  the  door  was  open  ;  then  some 
one  of  the  older  people  would  call  out,  ''  Drive  out 
dat  dog,"  and  there  was  a  regular  skirmish  until  he 
was  ejected.  In  vain  we  talked  and  expostulated. 
It  took  time  to  make  the  scholars  believe  that  we 
drew  the  line  at  dogs.     One  man  said  feelingly,  — 

"  Why,  ef  I  lef  my  leetle  dog,  I  mus'  stay  too,  fur 
him  ain't  going  to  stop  widout  me." 

Miss  Lizzie, 

Now  that  field-work  was  over,  all  the  contrabands 
flocked  to  the  school,  until  the  room  was  over-crowded. 
It  took  most  of  my  time  to  enroll  and  place  the  new- 
comers. They  appeared  irregularly,  and  at  all  times 
and  seasons. 

"Please  read  me  quick,  ma'am;  I'se  hasty.  I'se 
got  a  baby  at  home,"  said  a  big  black  woman.  This 
is  but  a  specimen  of  many  other  days.  In  vain  did 
WO  struggle  to  bring  order  out  of  this  confusion.     Ju 


96  FIKST   DAYS    WITH   THE   CONTRABA^^DS 

this  dilemma  Miss  Fannie  signalled  to  her  sister, 
"  Come  over  and  help  us  ;  "  and  in  due  time  Miss  Liz- 
zie  arrived. 

That  was  a  day  of  jubilee  to  the  contrabands. 
The  children,  laughing  and  shouting,  surrounded  the 
house,  and  peeped  into  the  windows.  Miss  Lizzie 
had  to  go  out  and  be  formally  introduced  before  they 
dispersed.  "  Oh,  but  him  jes'  like  Miss  Fonnie,  " 
said  Sally,  a  sometimes  waitress. 

The  plantation  school  had  now  been  united  with 
mine,  and  the  room  was  so  crowded  that  often  two  of 
the  teachers  took  their  classes  out  under  the  trees, 
while  a  third  gave  oral  instruction  in  the  school- 
room. 

In  order  to  teach  writing.  Miss  Fannie  had  to  let 
the  scholars  kneel  down  before  the  benches,  upon 
which  they  placed  their  slates  and  books  and  papers. 

I  was  much  interested  in  a  class  of  married  men 
and  women  who  never  got  much  beyond  words  of 
two  syllables,  and  could  only  spell  and  write  "  good," 
"  books,"  etc.  I  devoted  the  recess-time  to  them, 
and  was  much  amused  by  their  efforts.  They  rolled 
up  their  eyes  and  scratched  their  heads  when  puz- 
zled, and  every  line  in  their  faces  was  in  motion.  If 
any  one  missed  a  word,  or  gave  a  wrong  answer,  he 
looked  very  grave.  But  whenever  a  correct  answer 
was  given,  especially  if  it  seemed  at  all  difficult,  they 
laughed  aloud,  and  reeled  about,  hitting  each  other 
with  their  elbows.  Such  ''  guffaws "  could  not  be 
tolerated  in  regular  school  hours.  They  joked  each 
other  like  children ;  but,  unlike  them,  they  took  ^U 
good-naturedly* 


MISS  LIZZIE  97 

One  day  some  small  boys  were  standing  in  a  class, 
reading.  The  first  boy  stumbled  over  the  words,  and 
the  lesson  was  passed  to  the  next,  who  read  it  cor- 
rectly, over  which  he  chuckled  well ;  and  number 
one,  much  chagrined  over  his  failure,  said  in  a  low 
voice,  ''Git  out."  At  this  number  two  was  highly 
incensed.  Doubling  up  his  fists,  he  exclaimed, 
''Him  cuss  me,  git  out,  ma'am!  him  cuss  me,  git 
out ! " 

A  boy  gave  a  haphazard  answer  to  a  question  in 
geography  one  day.     His  teacher  exclaimed,  — 

"  Why,  Raph,  how  could  you  say  that  ?  " 

"  O  Miss  Fonnie  !  a  slip  ob  de  tongue  am  no  fault 
ob  de  brain,"  was  his  ready  reply. 

An  old  man  came  to  talk  with  us  about  his  grand- 
son, about  whose  progress  in  school  he  was  anxious. 

"  I  tell  you  what,  ma'am,"  he  said,  "  Billy's  a  bery 
tick-headed  chile ;  what  you  may  call  a  no  'count 
boy.  But  I  wants  him  fur  larn,  sure.  Do  please, 
ma'am,  take  your  leetle  paddle  (meaning  ruler),  so 
him  shall  bring  home  something  in  his  head." 

One  morning  two  bright  and  clean  little  girls,  ten 
and  twelve  years  of  age,  came  and  took  their  seats  as 
soon  as  the  bell  rang.  We  soon  heard  the  chirping 
of  little  chickens,  and  I  asked  if  any  one  had  chick- 
ens in  the  room,  and  there  came  a  faint  reply,  "  Yes, 
ma'am." 

"Who  is  it?" 

"Me,  ma'am,"  said  the  older  girl. 

"  You,  Virginia  !     Where  ?  " 

"  In  my  bosom,"  she  said  slowly. 


"  In  your  bosom !  What  in  the  world  did  you 
bring  chickens  to  school  for  ?  " 

To  which  she  tremblingly  replied,  — 

''  De  old  mudder,  him  kill  all  but  free  of  him 
chickens,  an'  titty  (meaning  her  stepmother)  say  I 
mus'  min'  dese.  An'  I  'fraid  ef  I  lef  'em  home  the 
rats  will  eat  'em.  So  I  has  to  bring  'em  wid  me, 
'less'n  I  can't  come  to  school,  ma'am." 

Sure  enough,  there  were  the  three  little  creatures 
snugly  nestled  in  the  bosom  of  her  frock.  We  soon 
found  a  box  in  which  they  could  safely  be  kept  until 
school  was  over. 


WHITNEY  SCHOOL  99 


VII 


WHITNEY   SCHOOL 


Our  commissions  as  teachers  from  the  New  Eng- 
land Freedman's  Aid  Society  entitled  us  to  positions 
as  workers  amongst  the  contrabands,  and  the  kind 
and  generous  care  of  these  Northern  friends  enabled 
us  to  carry  on  this  work. 

Some  time  in  the  future,  old  ladies  will  tell  their 
grandchildren  of  the  first  days  of  the  Civil  War ; 
when  they  were  little  girls,  and  learned  to  knit  and 
sew,  that  they  might  contribute  stockings  and  hand- 
kerchiefs for  the  soldiers,  and  make  aprons  and  dress 
dolls  for  the  contrabands. 

There  were  no  idle  hands  in  those  days.  The  aged 
people  advised  and  contributed  money,  and  the  young, 
even  the  youngest,  worked.  The  rooms  of  the  Edu- 
cational Commission  in  Boston  became  a  great  depot 
for  all  sorts  of  supplies  for  the  contrabands,  upon 
which  we  made  requisition  in  time  of  need. 

During  my  first  winter  I  received  a  message  from 
the  main  society  in  Boston,  saying,  "A  family  in 
Belmont  which  has  been  sending  generous  contribu- 
tions for  the  contrabands,  wish  to  work  for  one  school 
and  one  set  of  people.     Would  you  be  willing  to 


100        FIBST   DAYS   WITH   THE   CONTEABAKDS 

be  adopted  by  them  ?  "  To  this  I  replied,  "  Gladly." 
In  this  way  my  school  became  the  protege  of  "  the 
Whitney  family,"  and  I  at  once  gave  this  name  to  it. 
Church  friends  and  neighbors  joined  with  them  soon 
after,  and  formed  a  distinct  Freedman's  Aid  Society. 

It  is  now  more  than  a  quarter  of  a  century  since 
these  friends  and  those  of  the  Church  of  Disciples, 
Boston,  adopted  the  Whitney  School.  li\  all  these 
years,  in  spite  of  the  many  vicissitudes  of  life,  these 
friends  have  been  unceasing  in  their  care  and  aid. 

Words  would  fail  to  tell  the  story  of  what  they  have 
done,  but  the  impress  of  their  work  has  been  left  upon 
hundreds  and  thousands  of  freed  people  and  their 
children. 

Sunday-school. 

As  soon  as  it  was  practicable  I  started  a  Sunday- 
school.  I  wished  this  to  include  everybody  who 
cared  to  come.  As  the  freed  people  had  "  praise " 
every  Sunday  at  break  of  day,  and  religious  services 
amongst  themselves  in  the  forenoon,  I  invited  them 
to  come  to  Sunday-school  at  three  o'clock  p.m.,  which 
they  always  call  "  evening." 

It  seemed  to  me  an  easy  thing  to  conduct  a  Sun- 
day-school. Of  course  there  were  so  few,  if  any, 
who  could  read  the  Bible,  most  of  the  instruction 
must  be  oral,  with  plenty  of  singing. 

I  started  out  the  first  Sunday  brimful  of  courage. 
When  we  reached  the  schoolhouse  we  found  a  crowd 
of  eager  and  expectant  men,  women,  and  children. 
They   were    shouting    their   spirituals,    but    stopped 


SUNDAY-SCHOOI  101 

when  we  went  in,  and  became  perfectly  quiet  and 
waited.  What  could  I  do,  and  what  could  I  say 
to  them?  All  at  once  I  became  positively  panic- 
stricken.  I  had  been  saying  to  myself,  "  It  is  only 
'  the  word  fitly  spoken  in  due  season '  which  they 
need."  But  what  was  that  word,  and  how  could  I 
say  it  to  this  patient  crowd,  so  ready  to  listen,  and 
with  implicit  faith  to  accept  whatever  we  told  them? 
The  responsibility  seemed  tremendous. 

Fortunately,  Major  and  Mrs.  Saxton  and  Colonel 
Ketchum  and  Miss  Kellogg,  all  well-known  friends  to 
the  freed  people,  had  come  ''to  assist  at  the  opening." 

The  colonel,  seeing  my  embarrassment,  suggested 

the  people  should  sing   again.     They  all  began   to 

chant:  — 

**  Nobody  knows  the  trouble  I  feel  ; 
Nobody  knows  but  Jesus." 

Then  he  made  them  a  speech,  so  simple  and  direct 
that  all  could  understand.  He  told  them  of  the 
freedman's  Sunday-school  in  which  he  was  inter- 
ested in  Beaufort,  and  asked  them  to  try  and  do  as 
well  as  their  neighbors."  To  this  they  assented  audi- 
bly, saying,  '' We's  sure  to  do  that." 

After  this  the  way  was  easy.  Every  Sunday  our 
Beaufort  friends  came  to  help  us.  It  would  be  diffi- 
cult to  tell  just  what  was  done.  It  was  impossible  to 
systematize  the  school,  as  we  had  seen  done  at  the 
North ;  so  we  worked  after  our  own  fashion.  Each 
Sunday  the  school  was  divided  into  classes,  according 
to  the  number  of  teachers  on  hand.  Sometimes  there 
would  be  twelve   or  more  white  teachers,  and  then, 


102        FIRST  DAYS   WITH   THE  CONTRABANDS 

again,  not  more  than  two  or  three ;  all  depended  on 
the  weather  and  on  military  duties. 

The  children  rarely  failed  in  attendance.  In  cold 
and  stormy  weather  they  were  sure  to  be  there ;  bare- 
footed and  bareheaded, — what  did  they  care?  They 
constantly  gave  very  funny  answers  to  all  questions, 
even  when  most  in  earnest. 

One  day  a  gentleman,  who  had  been  teaching  a 
class  of  large  boys,  came  to  me,  saying, — 

"  I  have  often  heard  stories  of  their  comical  ex- 
pressions, but  did  not  believe  half  of  them.  But 
what  do  you  think ;  just  now  I  had  the  boys  repeat 
the  Ten  Commandments.  I  tried  to  explain  how 
they  were  given  by  God  to  Moses,  talking  as  plainly 
as  I  could,  until  I  thought  thej^  understood.  Then  I 
asked  who  wrote  the  commandments  ?  One  boy  said, 
'  Uncle  Sam  ; '  another  said,  '  General  Saxby ; '  but 
a  third  thought  it  was  '  Columbus.'  " 

The  older  people  were  also  glad  to  come  to  Sunday 
school  when  it  suited  their  convenience.  But  they 
often  had  ''some  particular  thing  to  do;"  or,  "some- 
body to  see ;  "  or,  they  "  had  a  misery  in  the  head  " 
or  "the  back."  Sunday  was  the  universal  visiting- 
day,  and  they  are  a  social  people.  It  was  not  easy  to 
supersede  old  customs.  They  thought  religiously 
they  were  all  right,  for  they  were  all  in  the  church. 
They  liked  to  hear  preaching.  In  this  way  they 
picked  up  new  words  to  use  themselves,  when  they 
spoke  in  meeting. 

Early  in  the  year  one  of  my  little  scholars  died ; 
and  the  father,  with  one  of  the  elders  in  the  church. 


SITNDAY-SCHOOL  103 

came  to  beg  me  "  to  preach  a  funeral  sermon  in  Sun- 
day-school." They  also  asked  me  "  to  funeralize"  at 
the  same  time  Brother  John  Graham's  wife,  who  died 
several  weeks  before. 

I  was  not  a  little  startled  at  this  request,  and 
puzzled  to  know  what  to  do.  But  I  decided  to 
read  the  burial  service,  and  trust  to  the  inspiration  of 
the  moment  for  words  fitting  the  occasion.  As  their 
language  had  become  more  intelligible  to  me,  I  trusted 
I  was  better  able  to  speak  to  their  comprehension 
than  in  the  beginning. 

There  was  a  long  procession  of  relatives  and 
"  massa's  niggers  "  present,  most  of  them  "  same  fam- 
ily to  we,"  said  the  father  and  mother  and  bereaved 
husband. 

I  lined  the  hymns  as  distinctly  as  possible,  which 
the  entire  crowd  sang  loud  and  slow  in  a  minor  tune. 
A  friend  from  Beaufort  gave  a  fitting  address,  and 
the  colored  brethren  made  long  prayers.  One  of 
these  prayed  for  his  wife,  calling  her  his  "  dear 
pard'ner."  She  was  evidently  not  "  a  professor  of 
religion."  He  prayed  "  Our  Fader"  to  "rouse  him! 
rouse  him !  Take  him  to  de  brink  o'  hell,  O  our 
Fader ;  an'  hole  'im  over,  an'  shake  'im !  Shake  'im 
well,  our  Fader ;  but  nebber  drop  'im  in." 

Doubtless  he  was  more  anxious  about  his  wife's 
spiritual  condition  as  we  had  come  "  to  celebrate," 
they  called  it,  "  Sister  Venus's  funeral." 

Old  Uncle  Major  prayed  for  ''  more  uprightness  " 
in  conduct.  He  said,  "  O  Lord,  suffer  me  not  to  carry 
two  faces  under  one  cap." 


104        FIKST   DAYS   WITH   THE   CONTRABANDS 

The  next  day  I  heard  some  of  the  women  say, ''  The 
missis  made  a  grand  preachment  for  Sister  Venus's 
funeral." 

No  commendation  was  ever  more  gratefully  re- 
ceived. I  had  keenly  felt  my  inefficiency  as  "  a 
preacher,"  and  realized  how  few  and  dry  were  the 
crumbs  of  spiritual  comfort  I  had  been  able  to  give 
to  this  hungry  crowd. 

The  little  girl  that  died  had  been  a  pet  in  school. 
She  was  a  tiny  creature,  always  buzzing  around,  so  I 
called  her  "  my  little  troublesome  black  chicken," 
which  she  thought  very  funny. 

Early  in  the  week  I  went  to  see  Katy,  her  mother, 
thinking  to  console  her  for  the  loss  of  her  only  child. 
Instead  of  finding  her  sad,  she  was  almost  jubilant,  as 
if  some  great  and  unexpected  good  fortune  had  come 
to  her.     She  delighted  to  talk  of  her  child. 

"  I  bin  know  him  was  fur  go  fur  long  time,"  she 
said.  "  You  know,  ma'am,  the  Big  Massa  want  him, 
[meaning  her].  Him  bin  a-callin'  him  fur  a  long 
time.  '  Ma,'  him  said  to  me,  '  don'  you  see  bubba  thar 
waitin'  fur  me  ? '  Bubba  was  killed  in  fightin'  at 
Morris  Islan'.  I  knew  w'en  him  say  this,  the  Big 
Massa  bin  sen'  fur  him." 

I  could  say  nothing,  but  I  thought  of  that  "  perfect 
love  that  casteth  out  fear." 

Another  little  girl  in  the  school  died.  She,  too, 
was  an  only  child.  I  said  to  the  father,  "  I  am  so 
sorry  you  have  lost  Rosa." 

'^  Oh,  we  mustn't  say  that,"  he  answered  with  a 
broad  smile.     ''  We  musn't  fly  in  the  face  of  Provi- 


SUNDAY-SCHOOL  106 

dence.  The  Massa  call  my  leetle  gal,  an'  him  mus' 
go.  Ef  him  call  him,  him  wanted  him,  an'  us  can't 
say  nothing." 

Unlike  these  two  was  the  case  of  a  half-grown  boy 
who  suffered  for  a  long  time  from  a  lame  knee.  His 
father  was  sure  he  had  hurt  it  by  jumping  from  the 
"  shelter  house."  I  had  the  post  surgeon  and  bu- 
reau doctor  examine  him,  who  decided  he  ought  to 
be  taken  to  the  hospital  in  town.  When  the  father 
heard  this  he  indignantly  refused,  saying  he  ''  could 
mind  his  child,  and  did  not  ask  anybody  to  help 
him," 

The  contrabands  considered  hospitals  as  only  traps 
to  catch  the  weak  and  feeble,  —  far  worse  than  peni- 
tentiaries. 

In  time  the  boy  himself  begged  to  be  taken  to 
town.  Then  the  father  consented,  and  came  to  say, 
"  I  give  him  up  to  you,  ma'am."  So  I  had  him  placed 
in  my  buggy,  and  drove  with  him  to  town,  and  saw 
him  comfortably  arranged  in  a  clean  ward  of  the 
hospital,  and  left  him  cheerful  and  happy. 

But  I  brought  back  the  sad  tidings  that  amputa- 
tion was  necessary. 

When  I  told  the  old  man,  he  looked  very  grave, 
but  said,  "  Well,  I  give  him  up  to  you  ma'am." 

The  superintendent  of  the  plantation  was  deeply 
interested  in  the  boy's  condition.  He  kindly  offered 
to  go  and  be  with  him  during  the  operation,  and  bring 
us  word  of  the  result.  Alas !  he  came  back  to  say 
the  little  fellow  had  died.  Who  had  the  courage  to 
boar  such  disastrous  tidings  to  the  father?     We  both 


106         FIRST   DAYS    WITH   THE    CONTRABANDS 

shrank  from  this  task,  but  finally  I  went.  The  old 
man  dropped  his  head  and  leaned  heavily  upon  his 
staff  when  I  told  him.  But  he  only  said,  "  Bless  the 
Lord !  It  can't  be  helpet.  I'll  go  an'  get  him  an' 
bring  him  back  to  his  fader's  house." 

Afterwards  he  came  and  asked  me  "  to  f uneralize 
the  body."  So  I  went  to  the  schoolhouse  with  a  large 
number  of  the  friends,  and  conducted  the  services,  as 
I  had  done  before.  The  people  prayed  as  if  offended, 
and  sang  in  the  most  dolorous  manner.  I  saw  that 
something  was  wrong.  I  tried  to  explain  tlie  good 
uses  of  hospitals.  Then  I  told  them  how  happy 
Philip  was  when  I  saw  him.  I  spoke  of  his  blessed 
relief  from  long  suffering,  and  quoted,  "  Suffer  little 
children  to  come  unto  me."  But  all  was  received  in 
grim  silence,  so  I  sat  down. 

Then  one  of  the  leaders  arose,  and  in  a  most  digni- 
fied and  solemn  manner  asked,  "-  Has  you  got  done, 
ma'am  ?  "  To  which  I  meekly  replied  I  had.  There- 
upon he  began  the  services  over  again,  and  "  f uneral- 
ized  the  body  "  anew. 

I  soon  discovered  that  the  people  thought  the  boy's 
life  had  been  sacrificed  to  some  foreign  notion.  Their 
speeches  and  prayers  were  most  emphatic.  They 
exonerated  the  superintendent  and  teachers,  whom 
they  designated  as  •'  poor  innocent  creeturs,"  and  they 
asked  "-  Our  Fader  "  to  bless  us  for  what  we  tried  to 
do.  But  the  doctors  were  ''  them  as  goes  about  seek- 
ing whom  they  might  devour."  Their  volleys  of  in- 
dignation were  stunning.  When  the  services  were 
Qver^  and  they  came  as  usual  to  take  leave,  I  expos- 


VISITORS   TO   THE   SCHOOL  107 

tulated  and  explained.     They  only  replied,  "  It  can't 
be  helpet.     You  ain't  know  no  better." 

Visitors  to  the  School. 

There  was  no  day  without  Northern  visitors  to  the 
school.  Most  of  these  were  interested,  but  all  were 
full  of  curiosity. 

I  must  confess,  the  ignorance  of  some  of  these  visit- 
ors in  regard  to  the  condition  of  the  contrabriiids  was 
positively  astounding.  The  questions  asked  of  teach- 
ers and  scholars  were  amusing  and  exasperating. 

In  this  connection  I  wish  to  ask  why  so  many  well- 
intentioned  people  treat  those  who  are  poor  and 
destitute  and  helpless  as  if  they  were  bereft  of  all 
their  five  senses.  This  has  been  my  experience. 
Visitors  would  talk  before  the  contrabands  as  if  they 
could  neither  see  nor  hear  nor  feel.  If  they  could 
have  seen  those  children  at  recess,  when  their  visit 
was  over,  repeating  their  words,  mimicking  their 
tones  and  gestures,  they  would  have  been  undeceived. 
This  was,  however,  but  one  class,  of  which  there  was 
a  great  variety.  Many  of  our  visitors  left  us  encour- 
aged and  strengthened  by  their  kind  words  and 
appreciation. 

Before  my  school  was  well  organized  ^ome  stran- 
gers called.  One  gentleman  asked,  "-  How  do  these 
children  progress  in  arithmetic  ? "  I  looked  sur- 
prised. "  I  mean  how  far  along  have  they  got?  Are 
any  of  them  able  to  take  up  book-keeping,  for  in- 
stance ?  " 

At  first  I  thought  he  could  not  be  in  earnest,  but 


108         FIKST   DAYS   WITH   THE   CONTKABANDS 

he  looked  so  grave,  I  replied  only  a  few  were  able 
to  count  to  one  hundred  without  making  mistakes, 
and  I  had  not  yet  succeeded  in  teaching  them  their 
right  hand  from  their  left. 

Some  officers  belonging  to  the  "Tenth  Army 
Corps  "  of  Sherman's  army,  who  were  stopping  in 
Beaufort,  visited  the  plantation  school  which  was 
"kept "  in  the  Praise  house,  about  this  same  time. 

"  Children,  can  you  tell  me  what  is  meant  by  the 
Trinity?"  asked  one  of  them.  The  teacher,  who 
was  the  daughter  of  a  Methodist  minister,  was  re- 
ported to  have  very  liberal  religious  opinions,  in 
fact,  to  be  rather  heretical.  Doubtless  the  visitor 
wished  to  put  the  children  on  the  right  track,  for  he 
made  quite  a  lengthy  speech  upon  doctrinal  points. 
After  he  left  the  teacher  said,  — 

"  Children,  I  hope  you  will  remember  what  the 
gentleman  told  you." 

"  Us  ain't  know  what  him  talk,"  was  their  answer. 

The  same  party  came  to  my  school.  I  was  ex- 
pecting them,  and  had  examined  the  children  a  little 
upon  general  subjects.  All  instruction  at  this  early 
date  was  necessarily  given  orally;  so  I  drilled  the 
scholars  from  time  to  time  upon  —  I  may  say,,  politi- 
cal economy.  They  knew  who  was  president.  It 
was  not  easy  to  make  them  understand  the  geographi- 
cal difference  between  the  North  and  South.  They 
would  persist  in  saying  they  lived  in  "Sou  Carlina,  in 
the  State  of  Sou  Ameriky."  Imagine  my  surprise, 
when  they  had  sung  and  answered  a  few  general 
questions,  to  have  one  of  the  visitors  get  up  and  ask. 


VISITORS   TO   THE    SCHOOL  109 

*' Children,  who  is  Jesus  Christ?"  For  a  moment 
the  whole  school  seemed  paralyzed.  Then  one  small 
boy  shouted  out,  "  General  Saxby,  sar."  Upon  this 
an  older  boy  sprang  up,  and,  giving  him  a  vigorous 
thrust  in  the  back,  exclaimed,  "  Not  so,  boy  !  Him's 
Massa  Linkum." 

Not  long  after  this  I  went  to  a  colored  Sunday- 
school  in  Beaufort  with  this  same  officer,  who,  being 
requested  to  speak  to  the  scholars,  began  by  saying, — 

"  Children,  do  you  all  go  to  school  ?  All  who  do, 
hold  up  their  right  hands." 

Upon  this  all  hands,  right  and  left,  went  up. 
"  Good  !  "  said  he ;  and  then  he  gave  them  a  most 
excellent  address  upon  education,  —  so  good  I  trusted 
there  might  be  a  few  who  could  understand  it. 

These  irrelevant  questions  and  answers  seem 
strange  to  me  now,  but  they  were  true  to  those 
people  and  that  early  period. 

One  day,  early  in  the  winter,  I  received  a  note  from 
General  and  Mrs.  Saxton,  saying  they  were  coming 
with  a  party  to  visit  the  school,  and  would  be  there 
by  three  o'clock  p.m.  This  was  when  Sherman's 
army  was  moving  through  Georgia.  Mrs.  Saxton 
knew  that  in  the  chaotic  condition  of  things  I  did 
not  like  to  entertain  visitors  unawares. 

I  thought  this  a  good  time  to  urge  upon  the 
children  to  make  themselves  as  clean  and  tidy  as 
possible.  To  encourage  them  I  gave  out  a  large 
number  of  wooden  pocket-combs  which  had  been 
given  me.  Then  I  dismissed  them,  charging  them 
to  run  home,  but  to  be  sure  to  come  back  before  two 


110         FIRST   DAYS   WITH   THE   CONTRABANDS 

o'clock,  with  clean  faces  and  hands,  and  their  heads 
brushed.     They  hurried  off  delighted. 

Alas  !  How  little  I  knew  of  these  erratic  beings  ! 
I  was  as  ignorant  of  their  powers  of  comprehen- 
sion as  they  of  my  meaning.  What  did  two  o'clock 
or  luncheon  signify  to  them  !  Absolutely  nothing. 
They  had  very  little  idea  of  what  I  meant. 

"  Teacher  sen'  we  home,  an'  us  is  to  go  back." 
That  was  all,  and  any  time  would  do. 

I  shall  never  forget  those  hours  of  anxious  waiting 
all  alone.  Not  a  chick  nor  a  child  to  be  seen.  A 
great  stretch  of  rough  cotton-fields  on  three  sides  of 
me,  and  the  broad  river  on  the  fourth.  In  despera- 
tion I  rang  again  and  again  my  little  cracked  hand- 
bell, —  this  was  before  the  arrival  of  my  schoolhouse 
bell,  —  hoping  to  arouse  some  one. 

Promptly  at  three  o'clock  the  general  and  his 
party  came  in  sight.  There  were  General  Saxton  and 
his  staff  officers,  and  General  O.  O.  Howard  and  his 
staff.  Brave  men  on  horseback,  and  fair  ladies  in 
carriages,  and  I  stood  alone  to  greet  them,  with  no 
school  for  them  to  see. 

I  begged  the  general  to  drive  on  to  Old  Fort, 
which  was  one  of  the  points  of  interest,  whilst  one  of 
the  party  went  back  to  order  forward  the  children. 
He  met  the  whole  gang  hurrying  along.  They  had 
seen  the  general's  party  drive  by,  and  concluded  it 
was  time  for  them  to  start.  Something  was  to  be 
done,  and  they  must  be  on  hand.  Their  nonchalance 
as  they  marched  into  the  schoolroom  was  exasperat- 
ing after  all  the  time  I  had  spent  in  anxious  waiting. 


VISITORS   TO   THE   SCHOOL  111 

In  less  than  ten  minutes  the  room  was  full  of  scholars 
seated  in  order,  with  clean  and  shining  faces  and  well 
combed  heads.  Each  child  wore  the  wooden  comb 
stuck  on  the  top  of  the  head  like  a  top-knot,  for  orna- 
ment, and  they  evidently  felt  fine. 

The  variety  and  grotesqueness  of  their  clothing 
defies  description.  No  doubt  each  one  had  assumed 
the  best  thing  he  could  find,  no  matter  to  whom  it 
belonged.  Girls  had  on  men's  coats,  some  of  which 
were  so  big  they  reached  to  the  ground.  Boys  had 
entire  suits  made  of  bed-ticking  and  old  horse  blank- 
ets. The  chief  thing  seemed  to  be  to  prove  how  little 
clothing  could  be  made  to  cover  them  and  keep  them 
on  the  verge  of  decency. 

On  this  occasion  they  had  followed  my  directions 
to  the  letter.  Some  of  the  children  looked  as  if 
they  had  ducked  their  heads  the  last  thing  before 
they  started.  The  water  was  trickling  down  their 
faces  and  into  their  necks. 

One  boy  had  half  of  his  head  shaved,  while  the 
other  half  was  untouched.  A  girl  had  put  on  a  long- 
sleeved  apron  I  had  given  her,  "  hind  side  before," 
so  as  to  wear  it  like  a  sack.  I  had  written  her  name 
on  a  piece  of  white  paper  and  pinned  it  on  the  sleeve, 
and  she  would  not  allow  this  to  be  taken  off.  Indeed, 
she  wore  this  name  as  long  as  her  apron  lasted,  hav- 
ing care  enough  to  take  it  off  when  the  apron  was 
washed,  and  then  pinning  it  on  again. 

The  whole  school  sat  quiet,  entirely  unconscious 
of  the  amused  and  curious  gaze  of  our  visitors.  But 
they,  in  their  turn,  were  greatly  attracted  by  the  epau- 


112         FIRST   DAYS   WITH   THE   CONTRABANDS 

lets  and  bright  buttons  of  the  officers,  and  the 
dresses  of  the  ladies,  which  they  carefully  studied. 

The  scholars  sang  and  counted,  and  answered  some 
general  questions,  then  General  Howard  made  a  short 
address,  in  which  he  gave  them  as  a  motto,  "  To  try 
hard."  This  all  could  understand.  So  when  he 
asked  what  he  should  tell  their  friends  at  the  North 
about  them,  they  all  answered,  "  Tell  'em  we'se  goin' 
to  try  hard." 

At  another  school  General  Howard  asked  this  ques- 
tion, and  a  little  boy  answered,  ''  Massa,  tell  'em  we 
is  rising." 

In  those  early  days,  as  since,  there  were  many  con- 
flicting reports  in  regard  to  the  contrabands.  Some 
of  the  friends  of  the  freed  people,  as  well  as  some 
teachers,  were  more  enthusiastic  than  judicious.  Every- 
thing was  couleur  de  rose  to  them. 

One  day  I  saw  a  "missionary"  indiscriminately 
giving  out  clothing  to  a  noisy  crowd  of  negro  women. 
A  huge  creature,  who  was  known  to  be  an  intolerable 
•termagant,  was  impertinently  demanding  a  better 
gown  than  the  one  given  her.  The  poor  tired  lady 
sat  ingulfed  in  a  mass  of  second-hand  clothing  of  all 
kinds. 

"  My  dear  good  woman,"  she  said,  "if  that  don't 
suit  you,  come  and  pick  out  what  you  like.  Take 
anything  you  want.  Poor  creature  !  You  do  need  a 
better  gown,  I  see." 

Thereupon  not  only  one,  but  a  dozen  "  poor  crea- 
tures "  rushed  forward  to  help  themselves. 

I  expressed  surprise  that  she  gave  them  so  much 


TISITOHS   TO   THE   SCHOOL  113 

liberty,  whereupon  she  gazed  at  me  reprovingly,  and 
sternly  exclaimed,  — 

"  Do  you  think  these  poor  colored  people  will  lie  ? 
Do  you  think  they  would  steal  ?^'*  (with  a  rising  in- 
flection to  each  sentence)  ''  Answer  me  that."  To 
which  I  replied,  — 

''  My  dear  madam,  they  are  human  beings.  If  slav- 
ery produces  only  saints  and  no  sinners,  in  Heaven's 
name  let  us  leave  these  people  in  their  old  estate !  In 
all  other  conditions  we  find  the  good  and  the  bad.  I 
believe  slavery  engendered  every  vice  under  the  sun. 
It  is  our  mission  to  help  these  people  to  overcome 
evil,  as  well  as  to  enlighten  their  ignorance." 

Before  the  year  was  over  I  heard  that  this  mission- 
ary reported  that  the  contrabands  were  hopelessly 
stupid,  and  devoid  of  gratitude. 


114        FIBST   DAYS   WITH   THE   CONTRABANDS 


VIII 

THE  FIRST   WINTER 

One  Sunday  morning  in  the  early  spring  we  were 
summoned  to  our  little  parlor  to  see  General  Saxton, 
and  found  with  hiui  Secretary  Stanton. 

This  was  a  visit  full  of  interest  to  us,  as  the  ap- 
pearance in  the  military  department  of  any  friend 
from  Washington  portended  changes  for  good  or 
evil. 

We  found  Mr.  Stanton  as  genial  and  unassuming 
as  an  old  and  Avell-known  friend.  He  asked  many 
questions  about  the  contrabands  and  about  our  work 
with  them,  in  all  of  which  he  seemed  deeply  inter- 
ested.    He  said,  — 

''  Do  you  really  think  the  contrabands  can  learn  ?  " 

To  which  I  replied,  ''  I  know  they  can." 

''I  believe  so,"  he  said.  "You  are  doing  a  great 
work  here,  and  T  honor  you  for  it." 

He  remarked  upon  the  cosey  appearance  of  our 
house,  saying,  ''You  seem  to  be  quite  comfortable 
here." 

To  which  I  replied,  ''  Yes,  comfortable  —  not  luxu- 
rious   certainly.      But  we    only  want   comfort."      I 


SECRETARY   STANTON  116 

was  then  sitting  upon  an  empty  soap-box  covered 
with  a  bit  of  carpeting. 

"Does  Uncle  Sam  treat  you  well?"  he  asked,  re- 
ferring, I  supposed,  to  our  rations.  We  had  recently 
been  cut  down  to  very  short  allowance,  owing  to 
the  left  wing  of  Sherman's  army  being  quartered 
near  us. 

"  Poor  Uncle  Sam !  He  has  so  many  children  to 
feed,  it  is  not  surprising  that  some  are  overlooked,"  I 
said. 

He  held  out  his  hand,  saying,  "  God  bless  you  !  I 
am  glad  I  came  down  here."  He  Avas  sitting  in  an 
old-fashioned  cane-seated  rocking-chair.  Turning  to 
General  Saxton,  he  said,  "  General,  I  have  not  felt  so 
comfortable  as  now  since  I  left  home,  —  no,  not  since 
I  first  came  to  Washington ;  and  I  should  like  to  stay 
aU  day." 

We  urged  them  to  lunch  with  us  and  go  to  Sunday- 
school,  so  as  to  see  our  people. 

"  No,  that  cannot  be,"  he  declared.  "  The  General 
can  testify  that  public  office  is  like  a  tread-mill :  when 
one  steps  in  he  must  move  on,  and  there  is  no  halt 
nor  rest  after  that.  And  now  the  General  looks 
anxious  to  go.  He  sees  me  comfortable,  so  drives 
me  off." 

General  Saxton  began  to  protest.^ 

"  Oh !  I  know.  We  really  must  go,  for  I  am  to 
leave  for  Hilton  Head  this  afternoon.  I  shall  remem- 
ber this  as  one  of  the  pleasantest  visits  I  have  made 
since  I  left  home.  I  have  been  sick,  but  I  feel  sure 
I  could  get  well  here.  Good-by.  I  pitied  you 
when  I  came  down,  but  I  envy  you  now." 


116        FIRST  DAY^   WITH   THE   CONTBABANDS 

I  mention  this,  as  it  was  one  of  the  bright  days  in 
our  lives,  which  were  just  then  very  full  of  cares  and 
vexations  and  wearisome  hours  of  labor.  We  needed, 
too,  encouraging  words,  for  even  at  that  time  there 
were  many  around  us  who  considered  the  appellation 
of  N.  T.  — ''  Nigger  Teacher  "  —  a  most  opprobrious 
epithet,  not  infrequently  applied.  We  should  not 
have  regarded  this  had  not  certain  good  and  well- 
meaning  persons  sent  us  denunciatory  letters,  telling 
us  first  that  we  "  were  throwing  away  our  time  "  and 
then  that  we  should  be  ostracized. 

Our  visitors  were  just  leaving,  when  word  came 
from  the  schoolhouse,  ''Dem  people  do  wait  on  you, 
ma'am." 

Upon  inquiry,  I  found  a  crowd  of  men,  women, 
and  children  had  come  to  Sunday-school.  It  was 
then  only  eleven  o'clock,  and  the  regular  hour  for 
school  was  3  p.m.  I  sent  word  they  had  come  too 
early.  "  Oh !  us  can  wait  on  you,"  was  the  answer 
returned. 

We  went  to  the  schoolhouse  at  the  usual  hour,  and 
found  ''  Uncle  Smart "  had  been  waiting  there  with  a 
"big  gang"  since  morning. 

This  old  man  was  our  self-appointed  ''  chief  of 
staff."  He  helped  us  at  all  times,  and  in  every  pos- 
sible way.  Seeing  the  General's  carriage  go  by,  he 
felt  sure  something  was  to  be  done.  So  he  quickly 
mustered  together  all  his  neighbors,  and  brought 
them  along  to  school.  When  I  expressed  my  regret 
at  this  mistake,  and  this  consequent  long  delay, — 
"  Oh !  us  can  wait,"  they  said  in  the  cheeriest  manner. 


MEDICAL  ADVICE  117 

Sunday  seemed  to  be  the  day  for  setting  things  to 
rights  with  the  contrabands.  Then  they  came  to  us  for 
advice  and  for  medicine.  We  often  wondered  whether 
they  got  this  last  ready  for  time  of  need,  or  if  they 
kept  their  ills  in  abeyance.  As  to  the  advice,  I  have 
always  found  these  people  were  much  helped  by  kind 
and  hopeful  words,  more  even  than  by  drugs. 

Medical  Advice, 

The  winter  of  1864-1865  was  a  sad  time,  for  so 
many  poor  creatures  in  our  district  were  wretchedly 
ill,  begging  for  help,  and  we  had  so  little  to  give 
them.  Many  of  the  contrabands  had  pneumonia. 
Great  exposure,  with  scanty  clothing  and  lack  of 
proper  food,  rendered  them  easy  victims  to  the  en- 
croachments of  any  disease.  I  sent  to  Beaufort  for 
help.  The  first  doctor  who  came  was  exasperatingly 
indifferent.  He  might  have  been  a  brother  of  a 
"bureau  officer,"  who  was  sent  down  especially  to 
take  care  of  the  contrabands,  and  who  wished  all  the 
negroes  could  be  put  upon  a  ship,  and  floated  out  to 
sea  and  sunk.  It  would  be  better  for  them  and  for 
the  world.  When  we  expressed  our  surprise  that 
he  could  speak  so  of  human  beings,  he  exclaimed, 
"  Human  beings !  They  are  only  animals,  and  not 
half  as  valuable  as  cattle." 

When  the  doctor  came,  I  went  from  room  to  room 
and  talked  with  the  poor  sick  people,  whose  entire 
dependence  was  upon  us.  Finally  I  could  endure  his 
apathy  and  indifference  no  longer. 


118        FIRST   DAYS   WITH   THE   CONTRABANDS 

''  Leave  me  medicines,  and  I  will  take  care  of  these 
people  as  well  as  I  can,"  I  said. 

''  Oh !  we  only  give  Dover's  powders  and  quinine, 
and  any  one  can  deal  them  out,"  was  his  reply.  In 
time  I  added  castor-oil  and  painkiller  to  my  stock, 
and  then  my  medical  stores  were  complete. 

I  could  not,  however,  excuse  the  doctor,  a  man  in 
government  employ,  drawing  a  good  salary  with  no 
heart  in  his  work.  Beaufort  was  reported  to  be  a 
depot  for  officials  whom  government  did  not  know 
what  to  do  with. 

''  Sister  Rose  "  was  very  ill ;  and  one  Sunday  a 
woman  came  to  beg  me  to  go  and  see  her,  "  fur  her 
has  remonia  [pneumonia],  an'  I  'specs  her  can't  be  no 
sicker  than  her  is,"  she  said. 

I  found  the  sick  woman  lying  on  some  moss  in  a 
corner  of  an  open  room,  with  a  crowd  of  people 
around  her,  holding  "  praise."  This  was  a  kind  of 
farewell  for  her,  as  they  had  made  up  their  minds  she 
could  not  get  well.  They  begged  me  to  read  the 
Bible  to  her,  although  she  was  apparently  speechless 
and  could  not  hear.  In  the  meantime  they  all  talked 
loudly  and  cheerfully  around  her.  I  told  them  to 
leave  the  room  so  Rose  could  have  more  air.  ''  Oh ! 
her  ain't  min',  fur  her  ain't  know  nothin',"  they  said. 

Just  as  I  left,  I  met  good  Dr.  Durant,  the  post 
surgeon,  and  took  him  in  to  see  poor  Rose.  He 
ordered  the  crowd  to  leave  the  room,  then  questioned 
the  woman,  who  opened  her  eyes,  and  could  hear  and 
speak  too.  He  prescribed  quiet  and  nourishment, 
and  said,  — 


MEDICAL   ADVICE  119 

"  Rose,  you  are  not  going  to  die.  Don't  let  them 
frighten  you." 

"  No,  massa,"  she  whispered. 

At  first  the  negroes  seemed  to  consider  the  doc- 
tor's visit  as  clearly  interfering  with  the  decrees  of 
Providence.  It  was  a  pity  to  disturb  one  who  was 
so  quiet  and  comfortable.  But  when  Rose  really  got 
well,  they  were  all  loud  in  their  praises  of  the  good 
doctor,  assuring  me  it  was  a  miracle.  "  Ef  Jesus 
Christ  hadn't  stop  an'  help  de  doctor  it  couldn't  be 
done." 

Some  women  wished  me  to  visit  ^'  Sister  Rhina," 
an  old  woman  who  lived  in  the  yard.  "  Us  ain't 
know  what  is  de  matter,  but  her  ain't  got  her  good 
sense,  an'  brudder  Ishmael  [the  old  husband]  don' 
know  what  to  do  wid  him." 

When  I  saw  the  old  woman  I  decided  she  had  not 
"  much  sense,"  but  that  she  was  more  wicked  than 
weak.  She  was  sitting  comfortably  by  an  open  fire 
wrapped  in  a  blanket ;  and  when  I  spoke  to  her  she 
looked  at  me  cunningly,  but  made  no  answer.  I  told 
the  women  to  let  her  alone,  and  when  she  was  hungry 
she  would  ask  for  something  to  eat ;  and  that  when 
sh^  asked  for  white  bread  and  sugar,  I  would  send 
her  some.     Immediately  her  senses  returned. 

Old  Ishmael  got  out  of  patience,  and  exclaimed, 
"  I  is  tired  o'  this,  an'  I  is  goin'  to  sen'  she  home." 
Then  turning  to  her  angrily,  "  You'na  said  you 
wanted  to  dead  wid  your  own  people.  Now,  why 
don't  you'na  go  an'  dead  wid  dem,  I  axes  ye  ?  " 

This  roused  the  old  woman.      "  I  ain't  goin'  to 


120        FIKST   DAYS    WIO^H   THE   CONTRABANDS 

dead,"  said  she,  "  an'  I  ain't  want  to  go  wid  my  people 
nohow.     I  is  goin'  to  stay  here  wid  missis." 

After  this  she  recovered  rapidly,  but  the  old  man 
could  not  forgive  her,  she  made  him  '^  so  tosicated  in 
his  mind ; "  so  he  sent  her  off  to  her  own  people  as 
"a  no  'count  nigger  nohow." 

More  Refugees, 

During  our  first  winter,  refugees  were  constantly 
coming  into  the  department.  General  Saxton  sent  as 
many  as  could  possibly  be  located  at  ''  Montgomery 
Hill."  At  the  beginning  of  the  year  the  best  working 
people  were  taken  from  these  barracks  and  distributed 
around  on  the  different  plantations.  Since  so  few  of 
the  first  refugees  were  left  there,  General  Saxton 
objected  to  the  name  of  Montgomery  Hill.  "It" no 
longer  belonged  to  the  people  brought  off  by  the 
Montgomery  raid."  He  suggested  these  quarters 
should  be  named  in  honor  of  Colonel  Silliman,  who 
had  just  died  in  the  Beaufort  hospital,  and  of  whom 
he  spoke  in  the  highest  terms. 

The  new  people  were  delighted  with  the  new 
name.  It  seemed  to  confer  upon  them  individual 
rights  before  unknown.  They  brought  with  them 
great  disorder  and  confusion,  and  they  took  possession 
of  the  old  barracks,  but  did  nothing  to  improve  them. 
The  old  people  who  went  away  left  dirt  and  debris 
behind  them.  They  had  been  promoted.  Besides,  the 
new-comers  were  ^^  only  Georgia  niggers,  anyhow." 
They  were  "low  down  country  niggers,"  not  fit  to 
associate  with  the  fine  stock  of  South  Carolina.    Why, 


MORE   EEFUGEES  121 

"  their  language  was  different.  They  said  '  pa-a '  and 
'  ma-a  '  very  flat,  and  they  always  opened  their  mouths 
wide  Avhen  talking,  as  if  they  were  hungry." 

The  clannishness  of  the  freed  people  was  indescrib- 
able. Those  belonging  to  one  family  or  one  master 
''ganged  "  together,  and  were  always  ready  to  fight 
for  each  other.  Little  jealousies  cropped  out  on  the 
different  plantations.  All  were  destitute  and  help- 
less, but  there  were  class  distinctions.  Th^  house- 
servants  were  unwilling  to  associate  with  the  field- 
hands. 

We  found  some  of  the  rooms  in  Silliman  district 
not  fit  for  pigs  to  stay  in.  Thereupon  we  tried  to 
institute  a  reform.  The  women  heartily  promised  to 
wash  and  scour  and  clean  up  as  soon  as  they  got 
some  "  particular  piece  of  work,"  then  on  hand,  done. 
It  ended  in  promises. 

There  were  between  three  hundred  and  four  hun- 
dred poor,  ragged,  destitute  people  to  be  helped. 
Day  after  day  we  gave  out  clothing,  with  which  we 
were  most  generously  supplied  by  our  Northern 
friends.  Each  garment  was  fitted  to  the  wearer,  and 
with  each  donation  we  gave  some  wholesome  advice 
which  was  graciously  received.  We  assured  them 
we  should  give  most  to  those  who  were  the  most 
tidy.  If  a  woman  had  one  clean,  well-mended  gown, 
we  were  sure  she  would  take  care  of~  another.  To  all 
this  they  invariably  replied,  ''  You  is  right,  missis ! 
You  is  right !  " 

Our  piazza  was  often  crowded  with  men  and 
women  waiting  for  something.     My  heart  sank  when 


122        FIKST   DAYS   WITH   THE   CONTRABANDS 

I  saw  how  forlorn  and  destitute  they  were.  But  we 
carefully  wrote  down  the  names  of  the  persons 
helped,  and  kept  a  list  of  all  articles  given  out.  This 
prevented  any  attempt  at  imposition.  The  contra- 
bands had  great  respect  and  awe  for  "  handwriting." 

I  discovered  that  some  of  the  women  came  to  me 
covered  with  rags,  hoping  to  excite  pity.  These  we 
sent  off  "in  double-quick,"  they  would  say,  —  telling 
them  water,  air,  and  sunshine  were  free.  The  super- 
intendent would  give  them  soap,  and  we  would  fur- 
nish needles  and  thread.  When  they  returned  de- 
cently tidy,  we  would  attend  to  them.  This  usually 
had  the  desired  effect. 

They  had  profound  respect  for  quotations  from  the 
Bible,  so  I  repeated  everything  I  could  remember 
that  was  appropriate.  "  He  that  hath  clean  hands 
and  a  pure  heart,"  etc.  It  had  become  a  fixed  habit 
to  say,  "  For  you  know  the  Bible  says."  One  day  I 
said  hurriedly  to  a  woman,  "-  You  know  the  Bible 
says,  '  A  stitch  in  time  saves  nine.'  "  Her  inevitable 
and  satisfied  reply  came  all  the  same,  "  That's  so, 
missis.     Us  knows  that."     So  I  let  it  go. 

A  friend  in  the  next  room,  overhearing  our  talk, 
asked  where  ''a  stitch  in  time  "  could  be  found  in  the 
Bible.  I  was  forced  to  reply  I  was  like  a  German 
friend  who  always  quoted  from  "  Shaakspear  or  the 
Holy  Beeble,  I  don't  know  which." 

Next  to  visiting  the  sick,  distributing  clothing  was 
the  most  arduous  duty  that  devolved  upon  us. 

One  Monday  night,  after  two  unusually  busy  days, 
Saturday  and  Sunday,  and  six  hours  of  active  school- 


MORE  REFUGEES  123 

work,  I  jotted  down  the  demands  made  upon  me 
between  daylight  and  dark. 

First  came  Katy  from  '' Silliman,"  ''fur  wash." 
"  Please,  ma'am,  Jane,  Fanny  Osborne's  mother,  beg 
me  fur  ask  you  fur  something  good  fur  face  pain. 
Her  very  bad  off." 

"  Well,  I  will  send  her  a  piece  of  flannel  and  some 
mustard  when  Fanny  goes  home  from  school." 

When  I  went  down-stairs  I  found  a  grizzly,  white- 
bearded,  miserable-looking  old  man  standing  on  the 
piazza  with  a  bowl  in  his  hand. 

"  Missis,  I  come  fur  beg  you,  ma'am,  jes'  fur  leetle 
morlasses,  for  something  for  drink.  My  t'roat  so 
bad,  missis,  I  can't  swaller  noth.'ng." 

"  Well,  Isaac,  wait  there,  and  I'll  send  you  some." 

Next  came  Edward,  an  old  servant,  and  our  hostler. 

"I  come  to  ax  you.  Miss  Muttoom,  fur  a  little 
coarse  t'read  —  no  matter  how  coarse  it  am,  itll  do." 

"  Well,  Edward,  I  will  get  you  some  when  I  go 
up-stairs." 

This  "  well,"  which  I  unconsciously  prefixed  to  all 
answers,  was  like  a  staff  to  lean  upon  when  weary. 

I  went  over  to  school  early,  and  found  Aunt  Dolly 
there  waiting  for  me. 

"  Missis,  I  kum  fur  ax  you,  ma'am,  please  read  this 
letter  fur  me." 

"Ask  Miss  Fannie,  Aunt  Dolly,  for  I  am  very 
busy." 

She  went  to  Miss  Fannie,  who  tried  in  vain  to 
decipher  the  letter,  but  could  not  make  out  one  word. 
So  it  was  returned   to  me.     As  I   had  written   the 


124        FIRST   DAYS    \YITH    THE   CONTRABANDS 

letter  to  which  this  was  an  answer,  by  well-directed 
questions  I  succeeded  in  making  out  the  general 
purport  of  the  document,  which  I  read  off  to  Dolly's 
great  delight. 

'^  Now,  missis,  when  will  you  answer  this  letter 
back  fur  me?  " 

"'  You  must  ask  Miss  Fannie,  Aunt  Dolly.  Per- 
haps she  can  write  to-morrow  for  you." 

"  Well,  missis,  ef  I  kin  git  some  paper  an'  a  wellup, 
I'se  sure  to  come." 

On  our  way  home  we  passed  old  Ishmael's  room. 
The  old  man  was  sitting  in  his  doorway,  bent  nearly 
double,  and  groaning  aloud. 

"  Missis,  I  mus'  beg  you  fur  something  fur  pain  in 
the  back,"  he  moaned.  "  The  pain  is  so  drefful,  it 
'pears  as  ef  I  can't  stan'  it  no  how." 

"  I  am  very  sorry,  but  really,  I  have  nothing  to 
give  you.  If  I  had  some  painkiller,  it  would  be 
good;  or  even  some  pepper-sauce,  you  should  have 
it." 

"Well,  missis,  some  o'  dem  people  say  a  pitch- 
pine  plaster  is  bery  helpful,  an'  I  jes'  put  one  on,  the 
misery  was  so  bad.  I  reckon  I'll  see  ef  it  don'  help 
me.  An'  I  knows  you  does  what  you  kin.  Look, 
missis,  an'  see  what  a  basket  I  is  making  fur  you," 
having  regained  his  cheerfulness  with  astonishing 
rapidity. 

When  I  reached  my  own  house  I  found  several 
colored  women  standing  on  the  piazza  waiting. 

''  Missis,  us  kum  fur  see  you  fur  some  very  per- 
tikler  business,"  they  said. 


MORE   REFUGEES  126 

^'  I  am  engaged  just  now,"  I  replied,  for  I  saw  some 
white  friends  were  sitting  in  the  house.  "  Can  you 
wait?" 

"  Oh,  yes,  missis,  long  'nuff.  Us  ain't  hasty.  Oh, 
yes,  us  kin  wait ;  "  they  all  exclaimed  most  heartily. 

When  I  had  time  to  attend  to  them,  I  found  they 
wanted  to  tell  me  about  "  poor  sick  Cumber.  Her 
gone  to  bed  an'  have  a  fine  gal ;  but  I  tell  you,  ma'am, 
her  bad  off.  Her  punish  too  much,"  meaning  she 
suffered  too  much. 

This  was,  then,  the  reason  so  many  women  came 
together.  They  wished  to  bear  united  testimony  in 
poor  Cumber's  case,  for  they  knew  very  welh  we 
would  have  nothing  to  do  with  one  like  her.  But 
their  tenderness  overcame  our  scruples.  Their  readi- 
ness to  help  the  poor  erring  girl  made  me  ashamed. 
So  I  made  up  the  usual  bundle  of  baby-clothes  and 
comfortable  things  for  the  mother,  which  they  were 
to  carry  to  her. 

Many  times  before  and  since  have  I  tried  to  resist 
the  touching  appeal  of  these  poor,  ignorant,  tender- 
hearted women  for  their  down-fallen  sisters.  One 
morning  early  an  old  nurse  came  to  me  for  help  for 
one  of  these  wretched  creatures.  After  telling  me 
her  story,  she  said,  — 

''O  missis,  ef  you  could  jes'~pit  your  eyes  on  her, 
it  would  hurt  you.  Her's  that  bad  off,  you  mus^  feel 
sorry." 

"Don't  tell  me  anything  about  her.  Aunt  Judy! " 
I  exclaimed,  trying  to  harden  my  heart.  "  She 
knows  better  than  to  live  as  she  has   done." 


126         FIRST   DAYS   WITH   THE   CONTRABANDS 

"  In  course,  missis ;  in  course !  I  ain't  say  noth- 
ing agin  that.  But,  poor  creeter,"  —  with  a  deep 
sigh. 

''  What  is  she  to  you.  Aunt  Judy?  "  I  asked. 

"  Oh,  nothing,  ma'am,  only  dey's  all  massa's 
niggers." 

This  was  a  case  that  had  tried  me  very  much.  I 
thought,  too,  I  must  make  this  case  an  example. 
So  in  spite  of  the  old  woman's  appeal,  which  brought 
tears  to  my  eyes,  I  said,  — 

"Don't  talk  to  me.  Aunt  Judy.  I  have  said  I 
would  do  nothing  for  that  girl,  and  I  must  keep  my 
word." 

She  dropped  her  head,  and  said  very  slowly,  — 

"  That's  so,  ma'am.  You  knows  best.  You  mus^ 
be  right,  fur  you'na  kin  read  the  Bible,  an'  so  you 
mus'  know  best.  But  I  has  to  go  now  to  the  gal, 
poor  creeter!  Them  wimmins  is  waiting  on  me," 
and  she  made  a  courtesy,  and  turned  to  leave  the 
room. 

"  You  kin  read  the  Bible,  an'  you  knows  more'na 
me,"  she  had  said.  And  what  does  the  Bible  teach 
me  ?  "-  Let  him  that  is  without  fault  cast  the  first 
stone." 

I  sprang  up,  and  called  her  back.  It  seemed  to  me 
I  could  not  work  fast  enough  while  making  up  the 
bundle  of  clothing  and  groceries  which  I  well  knew 
were  so  much  needed. 

Her  thanks  and  praise  were  really  humiliat- 
ing. 

^'  God  bless   you,  ma'am !     You  ain't  know  how 


MORE   REFUGEES  127 

glad  I  is.     I  shall  run  back  now,  an'  all  dem  wimmins 
will  be  so  glad  too." 

All  day  her  words  were  in  my  mind.  "  You  mus^ 
know  best."  What  did  I  know,  that  I  should  sit  in 
judgment?     Absolutely  nothing. 


128        FIKST   DAYS    WITH   THE   CONTKABANDS 


IX 


HOUSEKEEPING 


Seeing  so  much  destitution  around  us  made  our 
own  lives,  meagre  as  they  were,  seem  luxurious  by 
comparison.  But  we  were  not  posing  as  ''  saints 
without  bodies,"  and  it  was  sometimes  a  desperate 
struggle  to  keep  ourselves  comfortable.  At  first 
there  was  nothing  by  which  to  note  time ;  no  clocks 
nor  bells  nor  steam- whistles.  There  were  two  watches 
belonging  to  our  "mess."  When  one  was  at  the 
schoolhouse  there  was  nothing  to  guide  the  cook  at 
home. 

The  dial  of  the  contrabands  was :  "  When  the  first 
fowl  crow"  —  ''At  crack  o'  day"  —  ''W'ende  sun 
Stan'  straight  ober  head  "  — ''  At  frog  peep  "  — 
''When  fust  star  shine "  —  "  At  flood  tide,"  or 
"ebb  tide,"  or  "young  flood"  —  "On  las'  moon," 
or  "  new  moon."  Now  they  add  to  this  list  "  quar- 
terly meeting." 

But  these  data  did  not  help  our  cook  to  work,  nor 
us  to  regular  meals. 

Our  first  cook,  Amy,  was  a  refugee  from  James 
Island.     She  had  belonged  to  a  wealthy  planter  and 


HOUSEKEEPING  129 

had  been  a  field-hand.  Before  the  war  she  was  de- 
tailed to  cook  for  the  overseer.  Now  that  she  had 
been  installed  as  cook  and  housekeeper,  she  was  much 
set  up,  and  put  on  many  fine  airs. 

•  In  some  places  the  first  people  who  were  freed  were 
treated  with  injudicious  consideration.  They  were 
told  they  were  by  right  the  owners  of  the  land  upon 
which  they  had  worked  so  long,  etc. 

Whatever  sentiment  there  was  in  this,  we  had  to 
remember  we  were  dealing  with  people  just  born  into 
a  new  life,  who  had  to  learn  the  meanings  of  their 
new  conditions.  Like  children,  they  were  to  be  given 
what  they  could  assimilate. 

For  instance,  I  was  advised  not  to  ask  the  old 
house  servants  to  work  for  me ;  for  they  were  in  fact 
the  masters  and  mistresses  of  the  place,  —  of  the  sit- 
uation they  were  for  a  time,  if  they  only  knew  it,  but 
of  nothing  else.  Said  my  adviser,  ''I  have  no  more 
right  to  ask  Cornelia,  the  old  laundress,  to  wash  for 
me,  than  she  has  to  ask  me  to  do  her  washing.^' 

I  replied  that  laundry  work  had  not  been  my  busi- 
ness :  I  came  to  teach  the  freed  people  to  help  them- 
selves. 

Whatever  they  could  do  better  than  I,  in  so  far 
they  were  my  superiors.  In  consideration  of  their 
''previous  condition,"  I  gave  them  my  time  and  in- 
struction, whilst  I  should  pay  regular  wages  for  their 
labor.  But  I  should  expect  good  work,  and  no 
make-believe. 

Amy  fell  ill,  and  was  as  full  of  whims  and  fancies 
as  any  modern  fine  lady.     In  spite  of  the  "hard  road 


130        FIRST   DAYS   WITH   THE  CONTRABANDS 

we  had  to  travel,"  the  situation  was  ludicrous  in  the 
extreme  at  times.  Here  was  a  huge  creature,  as  black 
as  a  crow,  coarse  and  selfish,  who  had  installed  her- 
self in  one  of  the  best  rooms  of  the  plantation  house, 
a  thing  unheard  of  in  "  old  secesh  times."  Day  after 
day  we  came  from  school,  cold,  tired,  and  hungry, 
and  found  no  fire  in  the  house  and  no  fuel  to  burn. 
It  was  often  dark  before  we  could  stop  to  think  of 
ourselves,  and  then  we  had  to  hunt  around  for  sup- 
plies, and  then  wait  for  our  own  dinner  to  be  cooked. 
We  had  good  milk  and  hominy,  which  usually  served 
for  luncheon.  We  could  only  get  bread  and  crackers 
from  the  commissary,  five  miles  away,  upon  which 
we  could  make  requisition  once  a  week.  The  sta- 
ple articles  of  our  diet  were  coffee  and  corn-bread, 
and  pork  and  potatoes.  To  these  were  added  a 
little  rice  and  some  flour.  Sometimes  we  had  na- 
tive oysters  and  eggs.  So  when  Amy,  who  had  an 
enormous  appetite,  declared  she  must  have  "white 
bread,  'cause  she  couldn't  eat  coarse  vittles,"  — 
although  she  and  her  grandson  Will  had  most  of  the 
pork  which  they  especially  liked,  —  the  scene  became 
ludicrous. 

Will,  too,  was  a  character.  He  had  been  hired  to 
help  his  grandmother  and  to  wait  at  table.  He  was 
about  ten  years  old,  straight  as  an  arrow,  the  per- 
sonification of  dignity  and  the  condensation  of  all 
mischief. 

Our  cooking  was  done  in  an  outside  kitchen,  and 
Will  laid  the  table.  Everything  for  the  meals  went 
through  their  hands  and  theirs  only.     In  vain  did  we 


HOUSEKEEPING  131 

look  after  everything ;  putting  a  good  supply  of 
coffee  into  the  pot  before  we  sent  it  out,  and  counting 
the  eggs  and  potatoes  to  be  cooked.  The  coffee-pot 
would  come  back  filled  with  a  very  weak  decoction, 
and  everything  else  would  be  minus  its  original 
quantity.  We  laid  the  case  before  Amy,  who  de- 
clared, "  It  mus'  be  dat  good-f er-nothin'  boy  Will,  fur 
he's  de  sassiest  nigger,  an'  I'll  lick  him  well  fur  dat." 

We  spoke  of  these  shortcomings  in  Will's  presence, 
but  he  stood  as  stiff  and  unconscious  as  an  iron  post. 
He  rolled  his  eyes,  but  not  a  muscle  of  his  face 
moved. 

Finally,  one  night  I  gave  especial  care  to  the 
arrangements  of  the  tea-table  ;  it  was  the  first  intro- 
duction of  a  tablecloth  and  napkins  into  our  simple 
lives.  I  placed  a  bowl  of  crushed  sugar  on  the  table, 
and  then  went  into  the  ''drawing-room"  for  a  few 
minutes,  leaving  Will  standing  on  guard  near  the 
open  door.  I  was  gone  but  a  very  short  time,  and 
when  I  returned.  Will  was  standing  as  I  left  him, 
with  his  arms  folded.  On  lifting  the  cover  of  the 
sugar-bowl,  I  found  it  empty.  There  was  not  even 
the  smallest  particle,  showing  it  had  been  well 
shaken.  I  could  have  believed  I  had  not  filled  the 
bowl,  had  I  not  found  the  empty  paper  from  which  it 
had  been  taken. 

We  questioned  Will,  who  declared  he  knew  noth- 
ing about  it,  so  we  decided  if  he  could  not  keep 
these  unseen  and  mischievous  spirits  out  of  the  room 
he  was  no  use  to  us.  We  turned  him  over  to  his 
grandmother,   who   was   greatly  put   out    about   it, 


132        FIRST   DAYS   WITH   THE   COKTRABANDS 

declaring  we  '' couldn't  'spec'  me  to  bring  wood 
and  water  like  dem  no-'count  niggers,"  muttering 
something  about  "poor  white  buckra,  anyhow." 

Just  at  that  time  one  of  the  superintendents,  a 
Northern  gentleman,  became  hopelessly  ill,  and  it 
was  necessary  he  should  have  a  regular  nurse.  So 
Dr.  Durant  brought  Aunt  Mary  Ann  from  the  hospi- 
tal in  Beaufort.  She  was  a  tall,  erect,  light-brown 
woman,  with  unusually  fine  bearing  and  manners, 
and  great  natural  ability.  Amy  was  slowly  and 
sullenly  putting  breakfast  on  the  table  when  Auntie 
came  in.  She  immediately  began  to  courtesy  to  her 
in  the  most  obsequious  manner.  I  never  saw  more 
abject  servility  displayed. 

Auntie  surveyed  her  haughtily,  and  then  said, 
"  You  here.  Amy  !  Well,  I  hope  you  will  try  to  be 
a  good  and  decent  girl." 

From  that  time,  our  obstreperous  cook  was  a 
changed  being;  quiet,  orderly,  helpful,  and  pains- 
taking. But  I  had  no  faith  in  her  reformation,  and 
I  engaged  at  once  good  Ann  Jane,  one  of  the  refugee 
women  in  Silliman  district. 

Auntie  was  an  invaluable  acquisition  to  our  house- 
hold while  she  remained  with  us.  She  told  me  much 
of  her  story  before  she  left.  It  was  extremely 
pathetic  —  an  epitome  of  parts  ®f  "  Uncle  Tom's 
Cabin."  She  and  Amy  had  belonged  to  the  same 
master,  but  she  was  the  mauma  and  housekeeper, 
and  confidential  servant  with  both  master  and  mis- 
tress. Always  living  in  the  house  and  associating 
with  white  people  only,  she  had  but  few  if  any  negro 


TENTH  ARMY  CORP^  1S3 

proclivities.  She  also  had  white  blood  in  her  veins. 
But  "  Amy  always  was  a  low-lived,  deceitful  girl, 
who  gave  Master  Paul  no  end  of  trouble." 

Tenth  Army   Corps. 

It  was  an  exciting  time  when  Sherman's  army 
marched  through  Georgia.  The  left  wing,  or  "  Tenth 
Army  Corps,"  marched  to  Beaufort.  A  long  pro- 
cession of  gunboats  sailed  up  the  river  past  our 
place.  No  one  knew  at  first  whether  these  were 
friends  or  foes.  So  there  was  a  regular  stampede 
amongst  the  colored  people,  who  hid  away,  or  locked 
themselves  into  their  houses.  The  children  stood  on 
the  river-bank  and  shouted,  ready  to  fly  to  the  school- 
house  should  danger  threaten  them.  They  soon 
made  out  the  Union  colors,  and  then  there  were  the 
wildest  shouts  and  manifestations  of  delight. 

The  first  soldiers  who  landed  in  Beaufort  supposed 
they  were  still  in  hostile  territory,  and  they  immedi- 
ately took  possession  of  the  town,  helping  themselves 
to  whatever  they  could  lay  their  hands  on.  They 
were  intoxicated  with  success,  and  for  a  few  hours 
ran  riot.  General  Saxton  placed  a  strong  guard 
around  the  town,  with  strict  orders  that  no  colored 
people  should  enter  the  lines.  As  soon  as  the 
superior  officers  arrived,  order  was  restored.  But 
with  the  army  came  a  great  gang  of  contrabands  to 
be  housed  and  rationed  and  taken  care  of. 

For  forty-eight  hours  we  were  barricaded  from  the 
town,  then  General  Saxton  sent  an  orderly  with  a 
permit  for  us  to  enter  the  lines,  "good  for  thirty 
days." 


134        FIRST  DAYS   WITH  THE  CONTRABANDS 

Many  funny  stories  were  told  of  the  attempts  of 
the  colored  people  to  get  through  the  lines.  The 
negro  soldiers  made  vigilant  sentinels,  but  it  took 
time  for  them  to  understand  their  duties.  A  sentinel 
was  asked  one  night  if  he  had  the  countersign.  He 
said,  "  Dey  tole  me  not  to  let  any  one  pass,  'less'n  he 
said  Charleston."  Some  young  officers,  one  of  whom 
told  us  the  story,  wanted  to  try  him.  He  halted 
them  and  shouted  out,  "  Who  comes  dar  ?  Halt, 
frien',  an'  gib  de   countersign   Charleston,^'' 

But  they  soon  learned  their  duties,  and  rarely 
needed  to  be  told  the  same  thing  twice.  When  the 
Thirty  Third  U.  S.  C.  T.  was  quartered  at  Old  Fort, 
the  sentinels  were  ordered  at  one  time  not  to  allow 
any  boat  to  leave  the  shore  without  special  instruc- 
tions. One  night  a  boat  load  of  contrabands,  men 
and  women,  were  out  in  a  gale  and  were  upset  near 
the  old  fort.  The  sentinel  on  guard,  with  others, 
helped  to  get  them  on  land,  and  they  were  sent  to  the 
negro  quarters  to  get  dry  and  wait  until  the  wind 
went  down.  About  midnight  they  started  for  their 
boat,  but  were  stopped  by  the  same  sentinel,  who  re- 
fused to  let  them  leave  "  till  de  quar'masser  say  so," 
although  he  knew  them  well.  So  the  poor  quarter- 
master had  to  be  called  up  and  go  down  to  the  shore 
and  assure  the  sentinel  it  was  all  right. 

We  soon  learned  that  life  in  a  military  department, 
especially  near  the  camping-ground,  had  many  tribu- 
lations. 

For  the  month  that  Sherman's  army  was  stationed 
in  and  around  Beaufort  all  supplies  were  used  for 


TENTH   ARMY  CORPS  135 

the  military.  The  weather  became  exceedingly  cold. 
Ice  formed  and  did  not  melt  all  day.  For  three 
weeks  we  could  get  no  rations  from  Beaufort,  and  we 
were  very  nearly  reduced  to  our  own  supply  of  sweet 
potatoes  and  hominy  and  milk. 

This  hominy  was  ground  between  two  flat  stones, 
one  of  which  was  stationary  and  the  other  was  moved 
by  hand  by  means  of  an  upright  stick  inserted  in  a 
groove  in  the  stone.  It  was  a  slow  and  tedious  pro- 
cess, but  always  enlivened  by  the  songs  and  jokes  of 
the  colored  people  when  grinding.  Two  or  three 
always  came  together,  as  one  could  not  move  the 
stone  alone. 

One  of  these  primitive  mills  placed  under  a  small 
open  shed  was  very  near  to  our  house.  Often  there 
were  people  grinding  corn  in  this  mill  every  hour, 
day  and  night.  Boys  and  girls  would  come  in  pro- 
cession with  their  "  fanners  "  filled  with  corn  perched 
on  the  top  of  their  heads.  Singing  and  laughing  and 
joking  they  would  wait  hours  for  a  turn  to  grind,  as 
each  must  come  in  order. 

At  night  the  older  people  came  and  ground  by  the 
light  of  a  pine  torch  fastened  to  a  post.  All  night 
long  I  could  hear  the  whizzing  of  the  wheel  and  the 
shouts  of  the  people.  I  have  dropped  to  sleep  hear- 
ing,— 

'*  O  believer,  go  ring  that  bell,  ring  that  bell,  ring  that  bell; 
O  believer,  go  ring  that  bell,  ring  that  charming  bell,^* 

the  words  and  the  tunes  mingling  with  my  dreams. 
When  I  awoke  in  the  morning  they  were  still  singing, 
but  it  was  now,  — 

*'  Roll  Jordan,  roll  Jordan,  roll  Jordan,  roll.*' 


136        FIRST  DAYS   WITH   THE   CONTRABANDS 

All  kept  time  by  clapping  their  hands  and  stamping 
their  feet,  the  bass  now  and  then  calling  out,  "  Start 
up  !  "  "  Don't  go  to  sleep  !  " 

One  who  has  not  heard  these  spirituals  under  such 
circumstances  cannot  understand  their  power  and 
pathos.  I  can  never  hear  them,  even  at  this  date, 
without  emotion.  A  picture  rises  before  me  of  a  large 
room  so  bright  wdth  moonlight  that  I  could  read  a 
letter.  The  soft  air  moves  the  nettings,  while  the 
early  songs  of  the  mocking-birds  mingle  with  the  dis- 
tant shouts  of  the  negroes  at  the  mill. 

I  find  in  my  note-book,  dated  Jan.  14,  1865,  this 
entry :  — 

**  We  hear  that  Sherman's  army  is  crossing  to  the  mainland  to- 
day. Are  glad  that  the  soldiers  are  leaving  our  neighborhood. 
For  a  month  we  have  been  demoralized. 

^'  It  has  been  almost  impossible  to  keep  the  contrabands  under 
our  care  in  order,  and  it  has  been  difficult  to  ration  the  new-comers 
and  make  them  comfortable.  All  our  supplies  have  been  stopped. 
It  was  not  possible  to  get  our  letters,  the  mails  have  been  so  crowded 
with  military  documents.  We  hear  there  is  a  mass  of  boxes  at 
Hilton  Head  '  waiting  to  be  moved/  but  no  room  for  them  yet  on 
the  overloaded  boats.  Truly,  our  lives  have  been  like  a  seething 
caldron. '^ 

Olarinda  an*  we  Family. 

The  new-comers  crowded  in  upon  us.     The  rela- 

-tionships  of  the  last  refugees  were  more  puzzling  than 

the  first.      One   day  Clarinda  from  the  Grove  —  the 

people  called  her  "  Clarinda  Grobe"  —  came  with  a 

small  army.     She  began  to  introduce  them. 

''  Only  we  fambly  live  on  Wordier  hill.  Dat  am 
my  sister  Wireginny, — scrape  yer  foot,  gal,^ —  an'  dat 


CLAEINDA   an'    WE   FAMILY  137 

am  my  cousin  Rhiner,  an'  Lizbeth  Blue  am  my  sister 
too.     Stan'  up,  gals,  an'  show  yer  manners." 

Most  of  these  were  new  people.  Clarinda  had  been 
ahead  of  the  others  and  came  to  school  a  few  days,  so 
she  was  supposed  to  have  "  larned  her  eddication." 

"  But  I  thought  Elizabeth  Blue's  father  was  Char- 
lotte's husband,"  I  said. 

"  Oh,  yes.  Auntie  Charlotte  hab  we  pa.  We  pa 
kum  over  'fore  us  did,  an'  lef  we  on  de  main,  kase 
de  rebs  run  ma  an'  de  chillen  up  into  de  country  to 
keep  'em  from  de  Union.  Den  we  pa  hab  Auntie 
Charlotte,  an'  w'en  us  kum  him  stay  wid  her,  an'  my 
ma  ain't  got  nobody  now." 

"  Auntie  Charlotte  "  had  been  to  school  the  day 
before  with  her  ''step-daughter  Lizbeth,"  who  had 
just  "come  in,"  her  two  boys.  Primus  and  Sandy, 
and  a  new  Blue  baby  in  her  arms.  I  did  not  then 
suspect  her  family  complications. 

''Becky  Ford  am  my  auntie  too.  Her  hab  but 
one  arm;  t'other  one  groun'  off  in  de  rice-mill.  Massa 
mad  one  day,  an'  say  him  didn't  feed  de  mill  fas' 
'nuff,  an'  him  beat  her,  an'  w'en  him  raise  de  arm  to 
fend  off  de  blow  him  jacket  sleeve  ketch  in  de  wheel, 
an'  'fore  dey  could  stop  de  wheel  she  arm  groun'  off 
clear  up  to  de  shoulder." 

Clarinda  spoke  with  much  indignation. 

I  sent  for  Becky  Ford.  She  was  a  quiet,  cheerful- 
looking  woman,  scrupulously  neat  in  her  dress.  I 
referred  to  the  loss  of  her  right  arm. 

"  Oh,  I  can  do  'nuff  t'ings  wid  t'oder  arm,"  she  said. 
"Massa   didn't  'tend  to  do  it.     Him  was  wexe4---^ 


138         FIKST   DAYS   WITH   THE   CONTRABANDS 

folks  mus'  git  wexed  sometimes.  Him  do  his  best 
to  stop  de  mill.  Him  say,  '  Beckj^,  I'm  real  sorry, 
but  you  is  too  d — d  careless,  gal.'  Au'  him  made 
dem  wimmins  min'  me  well !  " 

Not  a  word  of  resentment  from  her,  only  a  grate- 
ful remembrance  of  words  kindly  spoken,  although 
accompanied  by  an  oath;  and  of  gentle  care  and 
attention.  Since  then  she  had  "  minded  child,"  and 
learned  to  do  many  things  skilfully  with  her  left 
hand. 

She  came  regularly  to  school,  and  learned  to  read 
with  wonderful  rapidity,  and  to  write  legibly  with 
her  left  hand.  She  was  ''mad  fur  larn,"  as  one  of 
her  companions  expressed  it.  Patiently  waiting  and 
listening  to  the  others  she  learned  the  reading  lessons 
by  heart.  She  soon  became  a  self-appointed  monitor, 
keeping  the  small  children  in  order,  over  whom  she 
had  great  influence. 

With  Becky  Ford  was  another  woman  who  was  very 
black  and  very  resolute.     Her  name  was  Affey. 

She  said,  "  I  come  from  de  rebs  free  weeks  ago. 
I  belonged  to  uncommon  mean  man :  what  you  might 
call  right  down  cruel  master.  He  drove  us  off  his 
plantation  'cause  us  wouldn't  work  for  him  nex'  year. 
Us  made  crop  fur  him  las'  year  an'  den  he  wouldn't 
give  us  nothin',  an'  he  drove  us  off  wid  dogs  an'  guns. 
I  was  boarn  in  him  ban's,  but  him  too  mean  for  any- 
thing. Wen  de  Union  soldiers  wur  near  us  some 
o'  de  young  ban's  run  off  to  git  to  de  Union  folks,  an' 
massa  ketch  dem  an'  hang  dem  to  a  tree,  an'  shoot 
dem  J  he  t'ink  no  more'n  to  shoot  de  culled  people 


OLARINDA   an'    WE   FAMILY  139 

right  down.  He  shoot  more'n  twenty-five  prime  han's, 
—  nice  young  people.  I  couldn't  tell  you  of  all  de 
deaths  by  him.  But  t'ank  God,  I  got  away,  an'  him 
won't  git  me  agin." 

She  said  she  had  an  "  old  mother  "  and  ''  an  old 
husband  "  and  a  "  lettle  boy."  She  gave  a  different 
"title  "  for  each.  But  I  had  ceased  to  be  puzzled  by 
their  titles. 

A  little  girl  in  her  ''gang"  looked  literally  as  if 
she  had  lived  on  ashes,  she  was  so  emaciated.  She 
gave  her  name  as  "  Loiza ; "  but  when  asked  her 
title  said,  ''I  lef  him  (meaning  it)  on  de  main." 

A  most  forlorn  and  pitiable-looking  woman  in 
Affey's  gang  said,  "I  run  away  'cause  master  too 
bad ;  couldn't  stay  no  longer." 

Affey  had  with  her  a  poor  little  girl  who  gave  her 
name  as  ''Pleasant  Riddle."  Affey  said,  "I  ain't 
know  where  her  come  from,  nor  who'se  her  folks. 
But  her  hadn't  nowhere  to  go,  an'  no  f ambly,  —  no 
fader,  an'  no  mudder,  an'  nobody :  I  couldn't  lef  him 
so,  an'  I  take  him  wid  me." 

We  fitted  these  people  out  with  clothing  and  gave 
each  a  piece  of  soap.  The  next  day  they  all  appeared 
at  school,  dressed  anew,  with  hands  and  faces  clean 
and  shining  as  if  polished.  They  looked  like  quite 
another  "  gang." 

By  this  time  it  was  generally  considered  the  proper 
thing  for  all  refugees  to  come  "  to  the  yard  "  to  "  make 
their  manners,"  to  the  "white  ladies." 

One  day  a  clean  and  intelligent-looking  woman 
appeared  to  thank  us  for  teaching  her  children. 


140      rmsT  days  with  the  contrabands 

"  I  was  born  on  dis  island,"  she  said,  ''  but  was  run 
off  by  rebs  and  carried  'way  up  in  de  country."  Her 
husband,  an  old  man,  was  left  behind.  "•  I  lef '  him  in 
de  house,  an'  I  meet  him  dere  agin.  The  chillen 
run  away  from  master  an'  lef  me  behind.  Him 
carry  me  'way  off,  but  I  followed  on  an'  on  till  I  git 
here  at  last.  I  am  mighty  proud  de  chillen  can  git 
larnin.  I  tries  to  larn  from  dem  myself,  a  little  ebery 
night." 

One  day  a  woman  came  under  our  care  whose  story 
was  thrilling.  She  had  been  cook  and  valuable  house 
servant  on  a  plantation  in  Georgia.  When  the 
troublesome  times  came,  and  the  slaves  began  to  run 
off,  her  master  swore  she  should  stay  and  cook  for 
him  and  his  family.  He  "  would  fix  her;"  so  he  had 
heavy  iron  shackles  put  on  her  feet  so  she  could  not 
run  off.  In  this  manner  she  had  to  drag  herself 
around  her  kitchen  all  day,  and  at  night  she  was 
locked  into  the  corn-house. 

When  Sherman's  army  approached  all  the  family 
hurried  off,  and  left  this  poor  creature  caged  like  a 
wild  beast.  Her  moans  attracted  the  attention  of 
some  of  the  stragglers,  who  broke  down  the  door,  and 
carried  her  along  with  them,  having  no  time  nor  means 
to  remove  her  shackles.  In  this  condition  she  was 
partly  dragged  and  partly  carried  a  long  distance. 
The  iron  bands  had  worn  deep  into  the  flesh.  The 
muscles  were  fearfully  strained  and  swollen.  Even 
her  eyes  were  ready  to  start  from  their  sockets.  But 
she  never  complained.  Her  sufferings  were  un- 
heeded.    She  was  hunting  for  freedom. 


CLARINDA  AN*   WE  FAMILY  141 

"  Thank  God,  missis,"  she  said  the  first  time  I  saw 
her.  She  had  crawled  to  the  house  and  was  lying 
on  the  piazza  when  we  reached  home.  "  Thank 
God  I'se  foun'  freedom  at  last !  Dear  bressed  Lord 
Jesus  !  I'se  so  thankful !  I  t'ink,  missis,  I  mus'  give 
up  'fore  I  git  here,  but  dem  people  tell  me  de  school- 
missis  would  help  me.  An'  now  I  is  here,  O  bressed 
Massa,  I  is  ready  to  die  ef  I  kin  only  larn  one  t'ing  to 
take  up  wid  me  w'en  I  go  to  de  Big  Massa." 

Her  exhaustion  was  so  great  it  seemed  for  a  time 
as  if  her  new  life  was  to  be  only  spiritual  freedom. 
My  eyes  fill  with  tears  even  now  when  I  recall  her 
emaciated,  prostrate  form,  her  bleeding,  swollen  feet, 
and  her  look  of  exaltation  at  having  found  freedom, 
rest,  and  security  at  last. 

She  was  removed  to  Beaufort,  where  she  had  the 
best  medical  attention.  She  recovered  enough  to 
rejoice  with  her  people  over  emancipation.  But  her 
feet  were  never  healed. 

To  our  expressions  of  pity  for  her,  she  would 
invariably  reply,  -— 

"  O  missis!  'tain't  no  matter.  I  ain't  min'.  An' 
I  is  so  happy.  I  is  free  now,  an'  de  Big  Massa  knows 
it.     An'  I  kin  say,  — 

'* '  I  want  to  be  an  angel, 

An'  wid  de  angels  stan', 
'     A  crown  upon  my  forehead, 

A  harp  within  my  hand.'  " 

This  she  said  with  a  chuckle  of  delight. 

''  Think  o'  that,  missis  !  Oh,  think  o'  that !  Some 
o'  them  school-teachers  larn  me  that.     They  tell  me 


142         FIKST   DAYS   WITH   THE   CONTRABANDS 

more,  but  I  say  I  ain't  min'  to  larn  the  rest.     That's 

'nuff    to  tell  the  Big  Massa,  w'en  I  sees  Him,  an' 

Him  axes  me  to  say  something.     O  bressed  Jesus  !  " 

This  is  but  one  of  very  many  such  stories  of  those 

trying  times.    Each  teacher  had  her  own  experiences. 

But  our  mission  was  especially  with  the  refugees. 

Our  lives  were  like  the  post-boy's.  We  might  well 
say,— 

**  Like  a  shuttle  thrown  by  the  hand  of  Fate, 
Forward  and  back  we  go." 

One  evening  when  driving,  we  met  a  very  bright- 
looking  colored  woman  whom  we  knew. 

"  Us  going  to  well  fur  water  fur  the  lady  what 
bring  we  up,  an'  was  like  a  muther  to  we,"  she  said. 
"  Her  is  come  back,  an'  is  awful  poor  an'  sick,  an'  us 
all  say  us  can't  stan'  seein'  her  workin'  fur  herself, 
bringin'  water,  an'  sich-like,  fur  she  bin  very  kin'  to 
we.  Ole  massa  an'  my  mudder  was  babies  togedder, 
an'  him  was  very  good  to  we,  an'  them  bring  we  up 
as  chillin',  an'  they  t'ink  a  heap  ob  we.  Massa  set 
great  store  by  my  mudder,  an'  us  mus'  help  them 
now." 

We  applauded  her  for  such  good  feelings  and  good 
actions,  and  she  left  us  very  happy,  singing  as  she 
went  on  her  way. 


WRITING  LETTERS  143 


X 

WRITING  LETTERS 

Much  of  our  spare  time  —  if  by  any  stretch  of 
the  imagination  we  could  be  supposed  to  have  spare 
time  —  was  employed  in  writing  letters  for  the  freed 
people.  Every  day  two  or  three  of  these  would  come 
to  us  "  fur  write  a  letter  "  to  some  friend  whose  name 
and  title  they  did  not  know,  nor  to  what  place  the 
letter  was  to  be  directed.  They  always  thought  that 
those  who  could  "  put  down  handwriting "  must 
know  everything  else. 

These  epistles  were  sent  to  every  nook  and  corner 
of  the  Confederacy,  hunting  for  lost  members  of 
scattered  families.  We  had  a  very  large  number  of 
these  newly  freed  people  under  our  care,  and  all 
wanted  to  send  greetings  to  friends  left  behind. 

Writing  letters  was  one  of  the  first  duties  that 
pressed  upon  us  in  the  beginning  of  winter.  Women 
who  had  husbands  and  sons  and  lovers  in  the  regi- 
ments were  eager  to  communicate  with  them.  One 
day  five  or  six  of  these  women  came,  each  with  a 
sheet  of  paper  carefully  folded  in  her  apron  or  hand- 
kerchief, to  beg  me  to  write  their  letters.  This  was 
my  first  experience  of  the  kind,  and  I  could  with  dif- 
ficulty understand  what  they  said. 


144        FIRST   DAYS    WITH   THE   CONTRABANDS 

It  was  a  very  cold  day.  We  had  just  secured  part 
of  an  old  cooking-stove,  and  had  it  put  into  our  din- 
ing-room, hoping  to  take  away  a  little  of  the  intense 
chilliness  which  pervaded  the  whole  house. 

Before  I  began  to  write,  I  asked  one  of  the  women 
to  put  some  wood  in  the  stove,  and  start  up  the  fire. 
I  had  noticed  they  all  regarded  this  black  iron  thing 
with  much  curiosity,  inspecting  it  from  all  sides. 
One  woman  said,  ''  Him  fur  fire  ?  "  to  which  I  nodded 
assent,  and  pointed  to  the  door.  I  did  not  know 
until  some  time  later  that  not  one  of  them  had  ever 
seen  a  stove  before. 

The  first  woman  opened  the  door  cautiously,  as  if 
afraid.  Then  she  carefully  put  some  wood  inside, 
and  quickly  shut  the  door. 

I  was  so  busy  I  thought  no  more  about  it,  until  my 
fingers  were  too  stiff  to  move.  Then  I  told  another 
woman  to  look  after  the  fire,  as  I  thought  it  must 
have  gone  out.  She  opened  the  door  and  peered  in, 
and  then  said,  ''  I  'specs  him'll  burn,  ma'am.  You 
jes'  wait."  And  wait  I  did  until  I  felt  congealed  to 
the  very  marrow  of  my  bones.  Then  I  went  to 
examine,  and  found  they  had  put  the  wood  into  the 
stove  oven.  I  thought  this  a  good  time  to  give  them 
an  object  lesson,  so  with  a  match  and  some  paper  and 
kindlings,  I  soon  had  a  roaring  blaze,  explaining  the 
process  as  I  went  along.  They  were  greatly  aston- 
ished and  delighted  as  they  basked  in  the  genial  heat. 

"  Us  ain't  know,  but  now  you  show  we,  us'll  do 
all  right  anodder  time.  Oh,  but  him  kin  scream  ! " 
—  meaning  roar  —  they  said,  laughing. 


WRITING   LETTERS  145 

These  women  were  from  the  rice-swamps.  The 
first  one  wanted  a  letter  written  to  her  husband, 
whom  she  called  "  My  old  man."  As  nearly  as  I 
could  make  out,  her  direction  was  to  "  Gibberty  John- 
son," in  '^  Colonel  Markley's  regiment,  Co.  E 
Street,"  but  she  did  not  know  what  else.  She  wished 
me  to  say  that  she  was  well,  and  all  the  folks  were 
well,  and  she  sent  how-d'ye  and  so  did  they,  men- 
tioning a  long  list  of  names,  as  "  your  father  sends 
how-d'ye,"  and  "  your  mother  sends  how-d'ye," 
giving  each  name.  She  directed  him  "  to  say  his 
praise,"  and  to  answer  this  letter  right  back  as  soon 
as  he  got  it,  and  to  send  her  some  money.  "  There  she 
stopped.  When  asked  "  What  else  ?  "  "  Why,  you 
know,  ma'am,"  she  said.  Evidently  to  her  mind 
there  was  but  one  outline  for  letters,  which  I  was 
expected  to  fill  up. 

All  the  others  were  much  the  same,  but  with  differ- 
ent names.  I  advised  these  women  to  take  their 
epistles  to  some  officer  in  town  and  get  them  properly 
directed,  feeling  sure  they  would  never  reach  their 
destination  without. 

Later  in  the  winter  the  first  woman  came  again  to 
get  a  letter  written,  complaining  she  could  not  hear 
from  her  "  old  man."  I  now  discovered  her  direction 
was  "  Jupiter  Jones,  ma'am."  Alas !  her  first  effort 
was  all  wrong.  I  felt  sure  the  "  Gibberty  Johnson  " 
document  never  reached  him. 

I  saw  a  party  of  young  girls  waiting  on  the  piazza 
one  Saturday  morning ;  and,  as  each  had  paper  and 
a    "wellup,"  I  concluded  they  came  for  letter-writ- 


146        FIKST   DAYS   WITH   THE   CONTRABANDS 

ing.  To  my  question,  if  they  had  come  to  see  me, 
they  replied  demurely,  — 

''Us  wait  on  Miss  Fannie.  You  come^  Miss  Fan- 
nie ;  you  know  best  what  to  say!  "  they  all  exclaimed 
eagerly,  as  that  young  lady  appeared.  These  were 
love-letters  evidently,  and  they  were  all  very  merry 
over  them. 

So  Miss  Fannie  seated  herself  at  a  little  table  on 
the  open  piazza. 

"  Well,  now,  Georgie,  you  come  first,"  she  said. 
"What  shall  I  write?" 

''  Why,  you  know.  Miss  Fannie,"  surprised  at  the 
question. 

"  But  how  shall  I  begin  ?  Who  are  you  writing 
to?" 

''Mr.  Wm.  Lee,  Co.  G  Street." 

"  Very  well.  What  next  ?  Shall  I  say  '  My  dear 
friend'?" 

"  Now,  Miss  Fannie  !  What  would  you  say  ?  You 
mus'  be  write  letters  like  'a  this." 

"  Oh !  but  I  never  wrote  to  Mr.  Wm.  Lee.  Is  he 
your  husband  ?  " 

"  Ye-es  — no-o,"  — hesitatingly. 

"  Oh,  he  is !  "  exclaimed  all  the  girls.  "  You  know 
he  is." 

"Well,  I  haven't  got  the  tiffity  [certificate]  yet, 
an'  so  I  sha'n't  call  him  that.  An'  I  don't  want  him 
to  t'ink  I  care  much  ef  he  never  come  back.  Only 
to  know  I  'member  him  sometimes.  You  mus'  talk 
stiff,  but  kind'a  easy  too." 

So  the  young  lady  did  the  best  she  could;  and 


WRITIKG  LETTERS  147 

when  she  read  the  letter  over  to  them,  they  all 
shouted  with  delight,  and  one  exclaimed,  — 

''I  tell   you,  writing-larning's  a  powerful  thing." 

The  next  girl,  Jane,  said,  — 

"  Now,  Miss  Fannie,  I  want  you  to  write  jes'  as  if 
you  is  talking  to  your  own  luvyer  [lover],  an'  you 
'specs  him  to  marry  you'na  w'en  he  gits  home.  You 
knows  w'at  to  say." 

The  young  lady  disclaimed  the  knowledge  and  the 
implied  lover,  at  which  they  all  exclaimed,  "  Oh !  you 
is.  Miss  Fannie.  You  is  got  a  hundred  tousand  luv- 
yers,"  clapping  their  hands  with  great  glee. 

All  these  girls  were  pure  black,  —  a  fine  lot. 
Girl  number  three  walked  boldly  to  the  table,  and 
said,  — 

"  Now  I  am  going  to  talk  my  letter,  an,"  turning 
to  her  companions,  ''you  mus'n't  gap  a  word.  I  know 
jes'  w'at  to  say.  This  is  to  Mr.  John  Gardener,  or- 
derly sergeant.  Tell  him  I  can't  forgit  him,  an'  I 
'specs  him  ain't  forgit  me.  I  stan'  jes'  where  he  lef 
me,  an'  I  shall  stan'  there  'till  he  gits  back ;  an'  ef  he 
never  comes  back,  I  shall  stan'  there  still  as  long  as  I 
live." 

This  is  the  couple  Colonel  Higginson  speaks  of  in 
his  ''  Black  Regiment,"  as  "  John  wants  fur  marry 
Venus."  When  the  First  South  United  States  Col- 
ored Troops,  was  quartered  at  the  Old  Fort  Planta- 
tion, the  wedding  was  arranged,  and  John's  com- 
pany all  invited.  But  just  before  the  chaplain 
arrived  to  perform  the  ceremony,  the  soldiers  were 
called  to  arms  and  marched  off,  and  the  bride  and 


148        FIRST   DAYS   WITH    THE   CONTRABANDS 

her  friends  were  left  standing,  disconsolately  watch- 
ing their  disappearance. 

The  next  girl,  Susannah,  said  she  wanted  to  come 
last,  and  all  the  girls  must  go  away,  so  '^  only  Miss 
Fannie  one  "  could  hear  what  she  had  to  say.  The 
others  good-naturedly  jeered  at  this,  saying,  ''Her 
'fraid  o'  we,"  ''Her  shame,"  etc.;  but  she  was  firm, 
so  they  left. 

"  Now,  Miss  Fannie,  I  want  yer  to  write  strange 
to  this  gentleman.  Yer  mus'  say,  '  Sir,'  fur  I  don't 
call  him  my  friend.  Tell  him  he  needn't  exscuse  fer 
writing,  for  I  is  more'n  sprise  to  get  his  lettei's,  sence 
he  ain't  no  cause  for  writing.  I  ain't  know  w'at  he 
t'inks  of  me.  Does  he  t'ink  I  is  an  apple  way  down 
on  de  groun',  under  his  foot,  that  he  can  stoop  down 
[making  a  very  low  gesture],  an'  pick  up  wid  his 
hans'  ?  Tell  him  I  isn't  dat.  I  is  an  apple  high  up 
on  de  top  branch  ob  de  tree.  I  ain't  fur  drop  in  his 
mouth,  an'  he  can't  reach  me  wid  his  ban's  [stretch- 
ing her  arms  high  above  her  head].  Ef  he  jump  an' 
jump,  till  he  jump  his  head  off,  he  can't  reach  up  to 
me." 

We  never  knew  whether  there  was  an  answer 
returned  to  this  decisive  letter,  or  not ;  but  in  a  few 
months  Susannah  was  married  to  a  bright  young 
fellow,  one  of  her  schoolmates,  and  one  of  her  own 
gang  of  refugees. 

One  day  a  strange  woman  came,  and  said,  "  Missis, 
I  come  for  git  letter  write  back  to  Savannah." 

"  What  is  your  name,  auntie  ?  " 

"  Peggy  Owens,    ma'am.      Don't   you   knoiv   me  ? 


WRITING   LETTERS  149 

Why,  Miss  Fannie  do,  for  she  talked  to  me  one  night 
by  my  door." 

They  are  always  surprised  that  we  do  not  remem- 
ber them  as  readily  as  they  do  us. 

"Well,  Peggy,  I  am  going  to  school  now.  You 
will  be  obliged  to  wait." 

"  Oh  !  I  can  wait  all  day  for  you,  ma'am." 

When  I  returned  from  school  at  noon  I  heard  her 
story,  and  wrote  her  letter,  a  copy  of  which  lies 
before  me.  It  was  the  same  touching  recital  of  a 
hard  experience  which  we  were  so  constantly  hear- 
ing. Driven  out  of  Savannah  by  a  cruel  master,  she 
and  her  husband  fled  with  Sherman's  army,  although 
she  had  a  baby  but  a  few  days  old.  Of  course  they 
brought  nothing  with  them. 

From  Beaufort  they  were  sent  to  one  of  the  most 
remote  houses  in  our  district,  where  they  both  grew 
sick  and  the  baby  died.  All  the  contrabands,  espe- 
cially the  last  who  "  came  in,"  were  sickly  for  a  time 
from  so  great  exposure,  change  of  climate,  water,  etc. 

She  wrote  to  the  elder  of  her  church,  — 

**  Father  Cuffy  Anderson,  I  beg  you  to  have  praise  in  the  church 
for  me.  Ask  all  the  friends  to  pray  for  me,  for  I  have  lost  my 
husband,  — am  a  lone  woman.  There  is  no  one  left  for  me  now  but 
God.  I  give  my  best  love  to  all  my  fellow-servants.  The  morning 
before  my  husband,  Caddy  Owens,  died,  he  called  me  to  him  and 
said,  '  Peggy,  I  was  in  a  house  last  night  not  made  with  hands,  — a 
big  white  house.  I  am  going  to  leave  you,  gal,  but  I  ain't  going 
to  fret  'bout  you,  for  we  been  fight  together  a  long  time,  and  you'll 
brush  on  till  you  come  to  me.' 

**  The  next  morning  he  said,  *  Peggy,  if  you  please  to  get  up  and 
make  me  some  gruel,  we'll  drink  together  once  more,  and  that  will 
be  for  communion,  for  I'm  goin',  gal.' 


150       FIRST  DAYS   WITH   THE  aOKTKABANDS 

*'I  did  so,  an'  when  he  drink  it  he  said,  ^  Thank  God! '  an'  he 
laid  down  for  a  space  of  time.  Then  he  called  me  and  said,  *  I'm 
going  now,  gal,  but  don't  fret.  When  I  git  up  there  I'll  prepare  a 
place  for  you.'  I  cried,  'O  boy,  don't  leave  me  all  alone!  But 
he  just  laid  back  and  folded  his  hands,  and  looked  up  to  heaven 
and  smiled.     Oh,  Father  Cuffy!  he  didn't  die,  but  he  sleeps." 

I  wrote  the  letter  exactly  in  her  own  words.  She 
was  from  Savannah,  and  her  dialect  was  very  different 
from  that  of  the  people  on  the  islands  or  from  the 
rice  districts.  I  asked  if  she  had  a  good  master. 
She  put  her  hands  over  her  face  with  a  shudder,  and 
then  said,  — 

"  Oh !  he  was  very  bad.  I  cannot  tell  you  all  the 
cruel  things  he  did  to  us.  There  is  no  ugly  thing 
you  ever  heard  of  but  what  he  would  do.  But  I 
thank  God  for  all,  the  good  and  the  bad.  I  yet  live 
and  I  am  free,  and  I  thank  God." 

She  had  never  recovered  from  her  first  sickness, 
and  was  only  able  'Ho  crawl  around."  When  the 
letter  was  finished  she  left  me ;  but  towards  night  I 
found  her  lying  under  the  trees  near  the  house,  with 
her  face  turned  to  the  sky,  looking  as  happy  as  if 
well  and  resting  "  on  a  downy  bed  of  ease."  I  was 
startled,  and  said,  — 

'^  Why,  who  is  this?" 

"  It's  me,  Peggy,  ma'am.  I  am  resting  a  bit  before 
I  go  home.  I  felt  so  weak  I  thought  I  would  wait 
until  it  gets  cooler." 

''  But,  Peggy,  have  you  had  anything  to  eat?  " 

"  Oh,  yes,  ma'am  !  last  night.  Katy  is  very  good. 
She  gives  me  gruel.  But  she  is  sick,  and  I  come  off 
before  she  was  up." 


WRITING   LETTERS  151 

''  Well,  Peggy,  you  can  get  back  to  the  house, 
can't  you  ?  Go  to  Aunt  Jane,  and  tell  her  I  send  you 
for  some  hominy  and  bread  and  tea,  and  then  you  can 
go  home  in  the  cool  of  the  evening." 

After  this  we  saw  her  from  time  to  time  until  she 
went  back  to  her  friends  in  Savannah.  We  had 
most  excellent  reports  of  her,  and  that  she  was  the 
happiest  woman  on  Port  Royal  Island. 

Writing  these  letters  for  the  freed  people  was  our 
best  means  of  becoming  acquainted  with  their  char- 
acters and  needs  and  of  helping  them.  We  set  apart 
two  afternoons  in  the  week  for  this  purpose,  but  this 
was  by  no  means  sufficient  time  for  all  their  corre- 
spondence. I  think  half  the  men  in  the  Thirty  Third 
and  Thirty  Fourth  Regiments,  U.  S.  C.  T.,  had  families 
or  relatives  under  our  care. 

The  soldiers  had  made  wonderful  progress  in  their 
writing,  of  which,  of  course,  they  were  very  proud. 
Each  letter  was  an  improvement  upon  the  one  before. 
Most  of  these  were  written  by  the  soldiers  them- 
selves. They  always  asked  that  'Hhis  letter  may 
be  turned  back  to  me  as  soon  as  possible." 

The  women  could  not  get  on  as  fast  as  the  men. 
They  had  children  to  care  for,  and  more  work  to  do, 
and  but  little  leisure.  The  men  had  hours  "  off  duty," 
and  were  taught  by  the  chaplains  and  other  teachers 
in  camp ;  but  the  women  must  leave  their  houses 
and  come  to  the  schoolhouse  when  they  wished  "  to 
catch  a  lesson."  So  they  brought  their  letters  to  us, 
and  we  often  wrote  for  them  until  after  dark.  It 
was   extremely  difficult  to  write  or  read  after   the 


152       FIRST   DAYS   WITH   THE   CONTRABANDS 

lamps  were  lighted;  for  every  bug  and  insect  ever 
known  surrounded  the  light  like  a  cloud,  and  were  as 
troublesome  as  the  plagues  of  Egypt. 

One  night  I  wrote  six  letters,  —  one  from  a  sick 
mother  to  her  son,  and  another  from  a  young  mother 
to  the  father  of  her  child.  ""  And  he  been  born  free, 
thank  God  !  O  missis  !  when  the  boys  come  from  the 
wars  there  will  be  lots  of  weddings,  please  God !  " 

These  letters  were  very  touching.  There  Avere 
such  exhortations  to  constancy,  and  protestations  of 
eternal  devotion.  I  think  the  men  understood  what 
freedom  meant  for  them  much  better  than  the  women 
did.  They  comprehended  that  they  had  rights,  and 
this  alone  would  make  heroes  out  of  chattels.  The 
women  sang,  "We  must  fight  for  liberty:"  the  men 
had  already  fought  for  it. 

Three  of  the  letters  I  wrote  that  night  were  to 
lovers,  full  of  dignity  and  tenderness. 

''I  would  give  my  eyes  to  see  you." 

"  Jesus  is  good.  I  is  sure  him  will  bring  you  back 
to  we." 

"  I  eat  you  and  I  drink  you." 

One  girl  was  displeased  with  her  lover. 

"  Does  you  t'ink  I'm  foolin'  ?  I  is  true  forebber. 
You  treat  me  as  a  gentleman,  I  will  treat  you  as  a 
lady.  You  ax  me  for  money.  I  send  you  two  dol- 
lars. I  nebber  been  paid  for  my  work  yet,  an'  I  has 
no  money  for  myself.  But  I  has  money  for  you 
whenebber  you  axes." 

One  letter  I  wrote  at  the  request  of  one  of  my  good 
friends,  a  poor,  broken-hearted  old  woman  whose  only 


WRITING   LETTERS  153 

daughter  had  a  husband  in  Colonel  Higginson's  regi- 
ment. About  a  year  before  this  he  became  terribly 
home-sick,  and  he  deserted  and  came  back.  Then  he 
was  caught  and  sent  to  Fort  Pulaski.  That  was  like 
a  death-blow  to  his  wife,  who  was  never  seen  to  smile 
after  he  was  taken  away.  In  time  she  had  a  baby 
girl.  In  the  meantime  Robert,  the  husband,  behaved 
so  well  he  won  a  reprieve.  When  baby  was  three 
weeks  old  the  chaplain  wrote,  saying,  ''  In  two  days 
Robert  will  be  discharged  and  return  to  his  regiment." 

That  was  too  much  for  his  poor  wife :  joy  did 
what  grief  could  not.  The  next  morning  she  was 
found  dead  with  her  baby  unconsciously  sleeping  in 
her  arms. 

''  Do,  missis,  please  write  to  Robert,"  said  the  old 
grandmother,  who  sat  all  the  time,  day  and  night,  on 
a  blanket  on  the  floor  watching  and  tending  the  baby. 
"  Tell  him  Amoretta  did  not  die,  but  the  good  Lord 
jes'  took  her  straight  up  to  hebben  to  hisself."  It 
was  a  sad  and  difficult  letter  to  write. 

Thus,  as  the  hours  moved  along,  there  came  in 
quick  succession  a  constant  train  of  joys  and  sor- 
rows for  us  to  share  and  help.  We  did  what  we 
could,  and  trusted  God  for  the  rest. 

Just  after  the  surrender  of  Charleston  an  old 
woman  came  to  me  "fur  read  one  letter"  which  had 
just  arrived.  When  I  opened  these  letters  I  always 
looked  first  to  see  from  whom  they  came.  This  said, 
"  My  dear  mother." 

"  Well,  Sarah,  Avho  do  you  think  wrote  this?" 

"  I  'spects  it's  William,  ma'am.  Him's  wid  de  sol- 
diers in  Virginny." 


154       FIKST   DAYS   WITH   THE   CONTRABANDS 

"  But  have  you  no  other  sons  ?  " 

''You  'member,  ma'am,  I  bin  telling  you  de  oder 
day  de  rebels  catch  my  biggest  boy  an'  hang  him  for 
a  spy.  An'  Martin,  the  next  boy,  been  sell  off  by  de 
secesh,  an'  de  Lord  knows  where  him  is  ef  him  living." 

"  This  letter  is  from  Martin,  Sarah." 

The  old  woman  dropped  her  head  upon  her  knees, 
and  began  to  rock  forward  and  back,  exclaiming,  — 

"  T'ank  ye,  good  Massa !     T'ank  ye,  good  Massa ! 

0  blessed  Jesus !     You  is  berry  good,  berry  good ! 

1  t'ank  ye,  good  Massa !     I  t'ank  ye  !  " 

At  first  I  was  too  much  touched  to  read  the  letter. 
Then  I  said,  — 

''  Sarah,  will  you  hear  now  what  he  says  ?  " 

''  Oh !  I  is  satisfied,  ma'am.  Martin  is  alive.  But 
read  de  letter,  please,  missis." 

It  was  the  same  story,  daily  and  hourly  repeated. 
As  soon  as  our  troops  took  possession  of  Charleston 
the  slave  boy,  now  a  free  man,  turned  with  his  whole 
heart  and  soul  to  his  wife  and  child  and  his  mother. 
One  of  "-  Massa's  niggers  "  came  along  and  told  him 
where  they  were. 

These  people  had  a  marvellous  way  of  tracing  out 
the  missing  members  of  their  families,  and  inflexible 
perseverance  in  hunting  them  up. 

"  Where  is  Martin's  wife  ?  "  I  asked. 

''  Don't  you  know,  ma'am  ?     She  is  Jane  Ferguson." 

"  Why,  Sarah  !  Jane  has  taken  another  husband ! " 
I  exclaimed. 

She  looked  earnestly  at  me. 

"  Never  mind,  ma'am.     Jane  b'longs  to  Martin,  an' 


WAITING  LETTEES  155 

she'll  go  back  to  him.  Martin  been  a  sickly  boy,  an' 
de  secesh  treat  him  too  bad,  an'  we  never  'specs  him 
to  lib  t'rough  all." 

Just  then  Jane  came  in. 

"  Bless  de  Lord,  gal !  "  said  Sarah.  "  Martin  is 
alive  an'  coming  back  to  we." 

"  What  will  you  do  now,  Jane  ?  "  I  asked.  "  You 
have  got  another  husband." 

She  drew  herself  up,  and  said  deliberately,  — 

"  Martin  Barnwell  is  my  husband,  ma'am.  I  am 
got  no  husband  but  he.  Wen  de  secesh  sell  him  off 
we  nebber  'spect  to  see  each  odder  more.  He  said, 
'  Jane  take  good  care  of  our  boy,  an'  w'en  we  git  to 
hebben  us  will  lib  togedder  to  nebber  part  no  more.' 
You  see,  ma'am,  w'en  I  come  here  I  had  no  one  to 
help  me." 

'' That's  so,"  chimed  in  the  mother.  "I  tell  you, 
missis,  it  been  a  hard  light  for  we." 

''  So  Ferguson  come,"  continued  Jane,  "  an'  axed 
me  to  be  his  wife.  I  told  him  I  never  ''spects  Mar- 
tin could  come  back,  but  if  he  did  he  would  be  my 
husband  above  all  others.  An'  Ferguson  said, '  That's 
right,  Jane ; '  so  he  cannot  say  nothing,  ma'am.'' 

"But  supposing  he  does  say  something,  and  is  not 
willing  to  give  you  up,  Jane  ?  " 

"  Martin  is  my  husband,  ma'am,  an'  the  father  of 
my  child  ;  and  Ferguson  is  a  man.  He  will  not  com- 
plain. And  we  had  an  understanding,  too,  about  it. 
And  now,  please,  ma'am,  to  write  a  letter  for  me  to 
Ferguson,  —  he  was  with  the  Thirty  Fourth  Regi- 
ment.   I  want  to  treat  the  poor  boy  well." 


156       FIRST   DAYS   WITH   THE   CONTRABANDS 

I  wrote  the  letter  word  for  word  as  she  dictated. 
It  was  clear  and  tender,  but  decided.  Ferguson  was 
not  quite  so  ready  to  give  her  up  as  she  expected. 
He  wrote,  — 

"  Martin  has  not  seen  you  for  a  long  time.  He 
cannot  think  of  you  as  I  do.  O  Jane  !  do  not  go  to 
Charleston.  Come  to  Jacksonville.  I  will  get  a 
house  and  we  will  live  here.  Never  mind  what  the 
people  say.     Come  to  me,  Jane." 

I  read  the  letter  to  her.  It  was  evidently  written 
by  the  chaplain,  who  sympathized  with  his  client. 

'^  Will  you  please,  ma'am,  write  a  letter  yourself 
for  me  ?  Tell  him,  I  say  I'm  sorry  he  finds  it  so  hard 
to  do  his  duty.  But  as  he  does,  I  shall  do  mine,  an' 
I  shall  always  pray  de  Lord  to  bless  him." 

''  Shall  I  sign  your  name,  Jane  ?  " 

"  No,  ma'am.  I  shall  never  write  to  him  no  more. 
But  tell  him  I  wish  him  well." 

Soon  after  this  Martin  came  and  claimed  his  wife 
and  child,  who  gladly  clung  to  him. 

A  woman  brought  her  baby  boy  for  me  to  see,  —  a 
fine  child.  I  asked  what  she  had  named  him.  She 
said  the  grandmother  had  called  him  James  for  the 
father.  So  I  suggested  she  should  add  Freeman  to 
it.  The  father,  who  was  in  the  Thirty  Fourth  Regi- 
ment, was  very  proud  of  his  name,  and  he  wrote,  — 
''  Take  good  care  of  our  boy,  for  he  is  born  free, — 
free  as  the  birds,  free  as  the  wind,  and  free  as  the 
sun,  and  his  name  is  Freeman.  That  just  suits  me. 
Thank  God !     He  shall  always  be  a  free  man." 


THE   MARKIAGE   CEREMONY  157 


XI 

THE  MARRIAGE   CEREMONY 

An  order  was  issued,  early  in  the  new  year,  that 
all  persons  living  together  as  husband  and  wife 
should  have  the  marriage  ceremony  performed,  and 
get  a  certificate. 

In  the  days  of  slavery  the  marriage  relation 
amongst  the  negroes  was  rarely  held  too  sacred  to  be 
broken  by  the  wishes  of  the  masters  or  mistresses. 
Indeed,  it  was  not  easy  to  find  any  rights  of  the 
negroes  that  the  whites  were  bound  to  respect.  All 
the  people  in  our  district  had  lived  together  accord- 
ing to  the  old  slave  code,  as  husbands  and  wives. 

Amongst  the  first  persons  who  came  forward  to  be 
married  were  Smart  and  Mary  Washington,  who  had 
lived  together  over  forty  years.  They  were  very 
happy  when  they  walked  away  together  side  by  side, 
for  the  first  time  endowed  with  the  honorable  title  of 
husband  and  wife.  Smart  chuckled  well  when  we 
congratulated  him,  saying,  — 

"  Him's  my  wife  for  sartin,  now.  Ef  the  ole  hen 
run  away,  I  shall  cotch  him  sure." 

We  thought  there  was  no  danger  of  good  Aunt 
Mary's  running  away  after  so  many  years  of  faithful 
service? 


158       FIKST   DAYS    WITH   THE   CONTRABANDS 

Others  came  forward  to  have  the  ceremony  per^ 
formed,  and  get  the  certificate,  for  which  they  had 
profound  respect.  At  one  time  a  father  and  mother, 
and  a  daughter  and  her  lover,  were  married  by  the 
same  minister.  It  was  touching  to  see  the  eager, 
expectant  look  on  the  faces  of  the  old  couples. 
They  were  aiming  for  something  higher  and  better, 
of  which  they  had  as  yet  but  a  dawning  conception, 
—  only  a  glimmer  of  light. 

One  evening  four  couples  came  to  the  schoolhouse 
to  meet  ''  the  parson  "  who  was  to  perform  the  mar- 
riage ceremony  for  them.  They  came  straight  from 
the  field,  in  their  working-clothes  ;  the  women,  as 
was  their  custom,  walking  behind  the  men.  When 
told  to  join  their  right  hands,  they  were  greatly  puz- 
zled, although  we  had  instructed  them  beforehand. 
One  gave  the  right,  and  the  other  the  left  hand. 

When  they  left  the  schoolhouse  the  women  all  took 
their  places  by  the  side  of  the  men,  showing  that  they 
felt  they  were  equal  in  the  eyes  of  the  law. 

Some  months  after  this  we  were  passing  the  "  negro 
quarters,"  and  one  of  these  men  brought  out  a  very 
young  and  plump  baby  for  us  to  see,  saying  they  had 
had  "  a  heap  of  children,  but  it  seemed  as  if  none 
could  live  until  they  got  married,  and  got  their  cer- 
tificate.    But  dis  gal  is  boun'  to  live,"  he  said. 

She  did  live,  and  became  an  intelligent  and  highly 
respected  woman. 

Within  a  few  years  some  children  of  this  first  wed- 
ding party  were  married  in  this  same  schoolhouse, 
but  under  very  different  circumstances.     They  had 


THE   MARRIAGE   CEREMONY  159 

made  ample  arrangements ;  being  "  fashionably " 
dressed,  and  having  issued  invitations  for  a  large  re- 
ception of  their  colored  friends. 

A  man  and  woman  went  to  Chaplain  Woodworth, 
in  Beaufort,  and  were  married.  The  man  paid  his 
dollar  and  got  his  certificate,  and  they  left  well  pleased. 
But  in  a  day  or  two  he  returned  and  wanted  the 
chaplain  to  take  back  his  certificate,  and  give  him 
back  his  dollar,  "  'cause  he  didn't  like  that  woman 
nohow."  He  was  greatly  crestfallen  when  told  he 
could  not  back  out  now,  but  must  stick  to  his 
bargain. 

Chaplain  Woodworth  also  married  Mingo  and 
Rachel.    In  a  little  while  Mingo  came  back,  saying,  — 

"  Now,  parson,  I  want  either  a  paper  to  make  him 
come  and  lib  wid  me,  or  to  have  her  pit  in  jail,  or  I 
wants  a  pass  to  marry  another  wife." 

The  chaplain  asked  which  he  would  rather  have. 

"Well,  you  might  as  well  give  me  the  pass,  I 
reckon,"  was  his  answer. 

He  was  told  he  must  go  to  the  Freedman's  Bureau 
to  get  his  affairs  settled. 

In  a  few  days  he  came  again. 

"  Look  here,  parson,"  he  said,  "  that  gal's  not  only 
tuck  herself  off,  but  she  tuck  all  my  property  too." 

He  was  asked  how  much  property  he  had. 

"  Why,  I  had  two  head  o'  duck  "  (counting  them  off 
on  his  fingers),  "  t'ree  head  o'  chicken,  an'  a  hominy 
pot;  an'  now  I  ain't  got  nothin'." 

Mr.  Woodworth  told  him  again  he  must  go  to  the 
Freedman's  Bureau  and  see  what  they  could  do  for 


160         FIRST   DAYS    WITH   THE   CONTKABANDS 

him.  We  never  knew  whether  he  got  back  his  prop- 
erty or  not,  but  his  wife  never  returned. 

When  the  colored  regiments  were  "  mustered  out," 
and  the  soldiers  returned  home,  the  girls  immediately 
made  their  preparations  to  be  married.  So  they  came 
to  Miss  Fannie  and  Miss  Lizzie  for  advice  and  help. 
They  all  had  the  merriest  time  hunting  out  bits  of 
lace  and  ribbons  and  artificial  flowers  and  fitting 
them  to  the  expectant  brides. 

It  was  now  especially  desirable  to  have  the  mar- 
riage relations  established,  and  some  fixed  laws  that 
should  hold  both  parties. 

In  old  times  families  of  slaves  had  been  broken  up 
by  unfortunate  circumstances  or  by  the  will  of  the 
owners.  Husbands  and  wives  thus  separated  had 
been  advised,  and  in  some  instances  forced,  to  form 
new  relations.  Now  that  all  things  had  become  un- 
settled again,  these  people  returned  to  their  old  part- 
ners. This  was  often  a  great  disappointment,  as  we 
have  seen,  to  those  newly  allied,  and  resulted  in  a 
general  upsetting  of  affairs. 

Many  touching  appeals  were  made  to  us  to  settle 
the  difficulties  arising  from  these  changes.  We  were 
often  sorely  perplexed.  All  our  preconceived  ideas 
of  propriety  and  the  fitness  of  things  were  set  at 
naught.  Sometimes  two  men  claimed  the  same 
woman,  whilst  she  coquetted  not  a  little,  evidently 
disposed  to  take  the  one  that  bid  the  highest.  But 
this  rarely  if  ever  happened  where  there  were  chil- 
dren. 

One  day  Uncle  Kit  came  to  me  greatly  troubled, 


THE  MARRIAGE   CEREMONY  161 

His  wife  Tina's  first  husband,  who  had  been  sold 
away  from  her  "in  the  old  secesh  times,"  had  come 
back  and  claimed  her.  "An'  I  set  my  eyes  by  her," 
said  the  poor  fellow. 

Tina  had  been  brought  up  on  another  plantation  to 
which  husband  number  one  had  now  returned.  But 
Kit  had  belonged  to  the  Smith  estate.  So  the  wife 
went  from  one  place  to  the  other,  spending  a  few 
weeks  alternately  with  each  husband.  She  had  no 
children,  so  had  nothing  to  bind  her  more  to  one  than 
the  other. 

Kit  came  to  ask  me  to  write  a  letter  to  Tina  and 
beg  her  to  come  back  and  stay  with  him.  "  Fur  him 
want  to  come  here  to  lib,  but  him  shame,"  said  poor 
Kit.  He  was  ready  to  forgive  all  her  waywardness, 
"fur  nobody  can  tell,  ma'am,  what  I  gone  through 
with  fur  that  woman.  I  married  her  for  love,  an'  I 
lub  her  now  more  an'  better  than  I  lub  myself." 

We  thought  such  devotion  should  be  rewarded.  I 
expostulated  with  Tina  over  her  way  of  living,  and 
finally  threatened  to  ignore  her  altogether.  She 
seemed  surprised,  but  replied,  "  I  had  Sam  first,  but 
poor  brother  Kit  is  all  alone." 

Finally  she  decided  to  drop  Sam  and  cling  to  Kit, 
"  fur  he,  poor  fellow,  ain't  got  nobody  but  me,"  she 
said. 

They  lived  happily  together  for  many  years.  Then 
Tina  died,  and  Kit  refused  to  allow  any  person  to 
live  in  the  house  with  him,  telling  me  he  never  liked 
confusion.  And  folks  would  talk,  and  "  I  don't  want 
Tina  to  think  I  would  bring  shame  upon  she,"  he  said. 


162        FIRST  DAYS   WITH  THE  COKTRABANDS 

Sophie,  a  brown  woman,  was  our  second  girl  for  a 
time.  She  had  a  house  about  a  mile  away  where  she 
lived  with  her  husband  and  step-daughter,  and  she 
always  went  home  at  night  and  returned  in  the  morn- 
ing. 

One  stormy  night  I  did  not  think  it  fitting  for  her 
to  go  home.  So  I  gave  her  some  blankets  and  told 
her  to  lie  on  the  bit  of  carpet  before  my  sitting-room 
fire.  At  bedtime  I  found  her  sound  asleep,  sitting 
on  the  floor  with  her  head  lying  back  resting  on  a 
low  wooden  box.  One  hand  was  under  her  head  and 
the  other  hung  down  by  her  side.  Altogether  it 
seemed  to  me  a  most  uncomfortable  position,  and  yet 
she  slept  as  calmly  as  a  baby.  I  tried  to  rouse  her, 
but  found  she  liked  her  present  position  best.  The 
next  morning  I  overheard  her  praising  her  resting- 
place  last  night.     ''  It  was  so  still  an'  easy  like" 

Her  husband  came  ''to  make  me  sensible,"  how 
glad  he  was  that  I  did  not  let  Sophie  come  out  "  in 
such  a  powerful  rain." 

"  Me  an'  my  gal  Betsey  can  git  along.  But  her 
has  just  come  from  her  mother." 

I  expressed  surprise  at  this,  not  knowing  the  first 
wife  was  living.  He  said,  "  Oh  yes,  Betsey's  mother 
is  living ; "  that  he  was  a  carpenter  and  all  the 
white  folks  ''expected"  (respected)  him  and  asked 
his  master  to  let  him  work  for  them.  It  appeared 
they  couldn't  do  without  him.  His  wife  belonged 
to  one  man  and  he  belonged  to  another. 

He  was  sent  away  for  a  long  time,  and  his  wife 
thought  he  was  sold,  so  she  took  another  husband. 


THE  MARRIAGE   CEREMONY  163 

When  he  was  told  this,  he  said  ''  It's  the  same  as  if  a 
dagger  was  stuck  through  me.  I  would  never  receive 
[deceive]  her,  an'  I  thought  she  wouldn't  receive  me. 
She  would  leave  the  other  man  and  come  back  to 
me,  but  I  consider  she  had  done  that  which  is  un- 
lawful, an'  I  didn't  want  the  church  to  be  defiled 
through  me." 

I  asked  if  he  was  anxious  for  freedom.  "Not 
'zactly  ma'am.  Ef  a  man's  shoes  pinch  him  he'll 
pull  'em  off.  But  my  shoes  didn't  pinch  me.  I  had 
a  good,  kind  master  who  was  a  Christian  man." 

"  Auntie  Charlotte's  "  husband  was  first  sold  away, 
and  then  went  into  the  army.  So  she  took  a  second 
husband.  When  the  regiment  was  disbanded  num- 
ber one  returned  and  claimed  his  wife.  She  had  two 
boys  belonging  to  him,  and  a  girl  baby  belonging  to 
number  two.  The  poor  woman  was  in  a  sore  strait. 
Both  men  claimed  their  offspring.  She  knew  what- 
ever way  she  turned  she  must  give  up  part  of  her 
children. 

We  sometimes  hear  that  the  slave  mothers  lacked 
natural  affection.  On  the  contrary,  I  have  thought 
the  maternal  feeling  was  intensified  in  them.  Chil- 
dren were  all  they  had  in  the  world  that  they  could 
ever  call  their  own.  Whether  with  them  or  sepa- 
arated,  they  could  say,  ''My  child;  him  is  mine." 

I  knew  an  old  slave  woman  in  central  Georgia, 
before  the  war.  She  had  been  sold  from  her  Vir- 
ginia home  thirty  or  forty  years  previous,  and  she 
had  never  heard  a  word  from  there  since. 

As  soon  as  she  heard  I  had  travelled  through  Vir- 


164        FIRST   DAYS   WITH   THE  CONTRABANDS 

ginia,  she  came  to  me  to  know  if  I  had  ever  seen  her 
'' little  gal."  With  tears  streaming  down  her  face, 
she  told  me  what  a  ''  store  she  set  by  that  little 
child."  And  she  begged  me  to  look  out  for  her 
when  I  went  back.  She  was  sure  I  should  know 
her,  she  ''  was  such  a  pretty  little  gal." 

It  was  useless  to  tell  her  the  girl  was  now  a 
woman,  and  doubtless  had  children  of  her  own.  She 
always  had  been  and  always  would  be  her  "baby." 

When  the  time  came  for  me  to  return  North,  the 
old  woman  brought  me  two  hard-boiled  eggs  and 
three  sweet  potatoes,  roasted  in  the  ashes,  and  a 
handful  of  parched  ground-nuts,  all  tied  in  a  bit  of 
handkerchief.  She  evidently  intended  these  as  a 
bribe,  as  she  begged  me  again  and  again  to  "  look 
out  for  her  little  gal." 

There  was  another  slave  woman  at  the  same  place, 
who  was  young  and  strong  —  a  "  prime  hand."  She 
always  kept  by  herself,  and  was  the  saddest  person  I 
ever  saw.  She  too  had  been  sold  to  a  "  trader "  to 
pay  ''a  gambling  debt."  Then  she  was  brought 
from  Virginia  and  sold  again.  She  had  also  left  a 
little  child  behind  her.  "  And  I  cannot  sleep  nights," 
she  said.  ''Every  time  I  shut  my  eyes  I  hear  my 
baby  cry,  '  Take  me  wid  you,  mammy ;  take  me  wid 
you ! '  I  put  my  fingers  in  my  ears,  but  all  the  time 
I  hear  him  just  the  same,  crying,  '  Take  me  wid  you, 
mammy  ;  take  me  wid  you ! '  " 

An  old  colored  man  lived  on  the  next  plantation, 
who  had  been  a  negro-driver  in  old  times,  and  was 
always  a  leader  and  director   amongst   his   people. 


THE  MARBIAGE  CEREMONY  165 

His  wife  was  very  ill,  so  she  sent  to  beg  me  to  come 
and  see  her.  I  found  a  fine-looking  negress,  one  of 
her  neighbors,  with  her. 

''Missis,"  said  the  sick  woman,  " I  sends  fur  you 
'cause  I  want  you  to  stan'  witness  fur  me.  I  ain't 
got  long  for  stay  here,  you  see.  I  is  goin'  shortly, 
an'  I  can't  lef  poor  Billy  here  all  alone.  He  can't 
fend  fur  hisself  nohow,  an'  he  can't  live  alone.  So 
I  axes  sister  Hagar  to  come  here  and  tuck  my  place, 
an'  min'  Billy,  an'  the  house,  an'  the  dumb  creeturs 
fur  me.  I  gives  Billy  to  she.  Ef  you  tell  'em  they 
will  know  it's  all  right.  An'  do  please,  missis,  put 
this  down  in  handwriting,  so  they  shall  not  be  toxi- 
cated  about,  an'  contemptuous  by  the  people,  when 
I  is  gone.  Now,  missis,  will  you  tuck  my  hand 
once  more,  fur  I  is  going?" 

Billy  and  Hagar  stood  by  the  bedside,  respect- 
fully listening  to  this  long  speech.  Now  and  then 
they  would  ejaculate, ''  That's  so."  "  You  is  right, 
sister,"  etc. 

I  am  confident  the  sick  woman  considered  this  a 
marriage  ceremony  honorable  and  legitimate.  The 
same  night  she  died,  "  such  a  pretty  death,"  they 
said,  at  rest  and  at  peace  with  the  world. 

Poor  Hagar  was  not  a  widow  in  fact,  although 
her  husband  had  deserted  her  and  gone  back  to  the 
mainland  seven  years  before,  and  she  had  never  seen 
him  since. 

The  laws  of  South  Carolina  do  not  permit  a  di- 
vorce, so  she  was  not  legally  free.  I  had  supposed  that 
seven-years'  separation  would  be  equal  to  a  divorce. 


166        FIRST  DAYS  WITH  THE  CONTRABANDS 

The  church  people  thought  differently  and  refused 
to  sanction  the  marriage  of  this  old  couple,  and  the 
minister  refused  to  perform  the  ceremony. 

Tliey  appealed  to  me  again  and  again  to  help  them 
out  of  this  trouble.  An  envoy  was  sent  "  to  the 
main "  to  confer  with  husband  number  first,  who 
lived  there  with  another  wife,  and  had  several  chil- 
dren. 

"  Why,  I  gives  my  hearty  consent  that  Billy  have 
Hagar,  an'  I  will  put  my  mark  on  hand  writ  for  she 
to  marry  agin,  ef  you  want.  Tell  Billy  I  has  an- 
other wife  an'  a  big  gang  o'  chillen,  an'  he  is  wel- 
come to  Hagar." 

So  a  bill  of  renunciation  was  drawn  up,  to  which 
he  affixed  his  mark.     But  all  was  of  no  avail. 

Then  the  family  begged  me  to  see  the  colored 
minister  and  intercede  for  them.  So  I  appointed  an 
interview.  A  colored  "  elder  "  came  with  the  divine. 
The  parson  was  courteous  and  conciliatory,  but  his 
companion  was  decidedly  antagonistical.  He  mo- 
nopolized the  conversation,  evidently  afraid  his 
superior  would  be  won  over.  One  of  his  first  ques- 
tions was,  ''Do  you  ever  read  your  Bible  ?  If  you  do, 
tell  me  if  you  ever  found  anything  in  it  to  fit  such 
a  case  as  this."  And  ''Does  it  not  say  'Wives  sub- 
mit yourselves  to  your  husbands  '  ?  " 

I  soon  decided  it  was  useless  to  talk  with  such 
man,  and  closed  the  interview. 

Billy  and  Hagar  were  never  married.  They  lived 
together,  and  Hagar  took  good  care  of  the  old  man, 
as  she  promised  to  do.  They  were  cut  off  from  the 
church,  which  was  a  great  grief  to  the  old  man. 


THE  MARRIAGE   CEREMOKY  167 

"  Somehow  I  can't  hold  up  my  head  as  I  could 
once,  fur  I  has  been  a  powerful  leader  in  my  time," 
he  said  dejectedly. 

The  old  man's  wife  died  early  in  the  year.  In 
November,  1865,  the  provisional  government  of  South 
Carolina  decided  "  that  the  relation  of  husband  and 
wife  was  fully  established  and  recognized.  The 
evidence  of  its  existence  was  declared  to  be  cohabi- 
tation and  reputation,  or  acknowledgment  by  the 
respective  parties.  Those  who  now  live  as  such 
are  held  to  be  in  legal  marriage.  All  children 
heretofore  born  are  held  to  be  legitimate." 

''  Hereafter  this  which  the  law  regards  as  a  civil 
contract  is  required  to  be  duly  solemnized,  either  by 
a  minister  of  the  gospel,  the  district  judge,  a  magis- 
trate, or  any  other  judicial  officer." 

In  vain  did  we  quote  this  law  to  the  colored  elders. 
Their  only  reply  was, ''  Do  you  ever  read  your  Bible  ?  " 


168        FIRST  DAYS   WITH   THE  CONTRABANDS 


XII 

EVACUATION   OF   SAVANNAH. — OUR   VISIT   THERE 

Dec.  24,  1864,  General  Sherman  sent  the  follow- 
ing despatch  to  President  Lincoln :  - — 

**  I  beg  to  present  you  as  a  Christmas  gift  the  city  of  Savannah, 
with  one  hundred  and  fifty  heavy  guns  and  plenty  of  ammunition, 
and  also  about  twenty-five  thousand  bales  of  cotton.^* 

The  news  of  the  possession  of  this  place  by  our 
troops  was  received  by  the  freed  people  with  many 
manifestations  of  delight.  The  former  owner  of  Old 
Fort  owned  also  a  rice  plantation  on  Savannah  River, 
and  all  the  people  in  our  immediate  neighborhood 
had  relatives  still  there.  A  few  of  the  young  people 
had  slipped  away  and  reached  their  friends  at  Old 
Fort,  but  the  majority  were  left  behind. 

Early  in  February  we  went  to  Savannah  with 
General  and  Mrs.  Saxton,  and  members  of  the  gen- 
eral's staff,  and  other  officers.  How  it  had  become 
known  that  we  were  to  make  this  trip  I  cannot  tell, 
but  we  found  a  crowd  of  our  own  colored  people  on 
the  boat  when  we  went  aboard.  To  our  exclamations 
of  surprise  they  said  with  glee,  — 

"  Oh,  we're  goin'  too,  fur  us  has  frien's  there." 


OUK   YISIT   TO   SAVANNAH  169 

We  found  the  city  crowded  with  contrabands  who 
were  in  a  most  pitiable  condition.  Nearly  all  the 
negroes  who  had  lived  there  before  the  war  had  gone 
away.  A  large  number  went  on  with  the  army  ; 
those  left  were  the  stragglers  who  had  come  in  from 
the  "  sand  hills  "  and  low  lands.  The  people  from 
the  plantations  too  had  rushed  into  the  city  as  soon 
as  they  knew  the  Union  troops  were  in  possession. 

A  crowd  of  poor  whites  had  also  congregated  there. 
All  were  idle  and  destitute.  The  whites  regarded 
the  negroes  as  still  a  servile  race,  who  must  always 
be  inferior  by  virtue  of  their  black  skins.  The 
negroes  felt  that  emancipation  had  lifted  them  ofit  of 
old  conditions  into  new  relations  with  their  fellow 
beings.  They  were  no  longer  chattels,  but  independ- 
ent creatures  with  rights  and  privileges  like  their 
neighbors. 

The  bill  for  the  establishment  of  a  Freedman's 
Bureau  in  connection  with  the  War  Department  passed 
Congress  just  at  the  close  of  the  session  of  1864. 

Early  in  1865  Congress  passed  an  act  establishing 
a  Bureau  of  Freedmen,  Refugees,  and  Abandoned 
Lands.  This  was  to  be  independent  of  the  military. 
In  the  spring,  Major-General  O.  O.  Howard  was 
appointed  head  of  this  bureau. 

Order  had  been  restored  in  the  city  at  the  time  of 
our  visit,  but  it  required  much  deliberation  and  wise 
planning  to  bring  about  systematized  and  concerted 
action  between  the  military  and  bureau  officers.  The 
business  of  the  department  had  been  transacted  by 
the  military  and  disbursing  officers, 


170        FIRST   DAYS   WITH   THE   CONTRABANDS 

The  contrabands  were  dissatisfied  because  the 
whites  were  rationed  and  protected,  while  they  were 
destitute  and  neglected.  In  some  quarters  they  were 
becoming  clamorous  for  help. 

General  Saxton,  who  was  still  military  governor  of 
these  States,  was  sorely  tried  by  what  he  saw  and 
heard.  He  resolutely  set  to  work  to  improve  these 
conditions.  The  officers  of  his  staff  were  with  him 
in  sentiment,  and  aided  him  with  zeal  and  alacrity. 
Good  men  and  women,  armed  with  Bibles  and  spell- 
ing-books, also  came  and  began  a  work  of  unparalleled 
usefulness  amongst  the  contrabands. 

Tte  freedmen  had  got  the  impression  that  the 
abandoned  lands  of  their  old  owners  were  to  be 
divided  amongst  them.  This  impression  arose  from 
the  talk  they  had  heard  around  them  by  the  white 
and  colored  soldiers. 

It  was  absolutely  necessary  that  the  city  should  be 
relieved  of  this  irresponsible  crowd.  As  far  as  it  was 
possible  the  "  freed  people  "  were  sent  to  the  old 
plantations  and  instructed  and  encouraged  to  make 
contracts  with  the  owners  and  lessees  of  the  lands. 

A  gang  of  these  people  went  back  with  us  to  join 
their  friends  in  our  district.  We  were  as  much  puz- 
zled to  place  these  wanderers  as  the  officers  had  been. 

May  15,  General  Gillmore,  who  was  in  command 
of  the  department,  issued  a  proclamation  defining  the 
policy  and  wishes  of  the  general  government  towards 
the  people  of  these  States.      He  said,  — 

*'Itis  deemed  sufficient  to  announce  that  the  people  of  the 
black  race  are  free  citizens  of  the  United  States;  that  it  is  th^ 


SURRENDER  OF  CHARLESTON         171 

fixed  intention  of  a  wise  and  beneficent  government  to  protect 
them  in  the  enjoyment  of  their  freedom  and  the  fruits  of  their 
industry.'*  .  .  .  But  *' neither  idleness  nor  vagrancy  will  be  tol- 
erated, and  the  government  will  not  extend  pecuniary  aid  to  any 
persons,  whether  white  or  black,  who  are  unwilling  to  help  them- 
selves.'* 

It  is  not  surprising  that  some  of  the  freedmen 
supposed  that  liberty  and  emancipation  from  labor 
were  synonymous ;  but  as  soon  as  they  knew  what 
was  expected  of  them,  they  were  ready  to  make  con- 
tracts with  the  superintendents  on  the  plantations. 


Surrender  of  Charleston, 

Events  now  crowded  upon  us  in  quick  succession. 

Jan.  13,  1865,  General  Howard's  troops  made  ad- 
vance from  Beaufort  to  Pocotaligo  bridge,  which  was 
forty-nine  miles  from  Savannah  and  fifty-five  miles 
from  Charleston. 

The  booming  of  the  cannon  during  the  engagement 
could  be  heard  in  Beaufort.  All  the  citizens  of  the 
town  were  detailed  for  guard  duty. 

The  freed  people  on  our  plantation  were  wild  with 
excitement.  Half  of  their  relatives  were  at  Otaheite 
plantation,  which  formerly  belonged  to  their  master, 
John  Smith.  This  was  near  the  ferry  which  crossed 
to  the  mainland.  These  people  were  eager  to  follow 
after  the  army  "  to  see  the  fun,  and  say  how  d'ye  to 
their  friends."  But  military  orders  were  strict,  and 
it  was  impossible  to  cross  the  lines. 

The   superintendent  had   already  made  new  con- 


172        FIRST  DAYS   WITH   THE  CONTRABANDS 

tracts  with  the  people,  and  it  was  time  to  make  prep- 
arations for  field-work. 

Feb.  18  Charleston  was  surrendered  and  our  troops 
took  possession. 

When  this  news  reached  us  the  people  in  Beaufort 
had  a  great  mass-meeting.  An  immense  crowd  of 
freed  people  gathered  there  and  made  a  real  jubilee 
of  the  occasion. 

''April  14,  1865.  The  evacuation  of  Fort  Sum- 
ter on  the  same  day  four  years  previous  was  cele- 
brated by  raising  the  same  flag  on  the  fort,  by  Major 
Anderson." 

I  quote  from  the  Rebellion  Record. 

Everybody  around  us  was  making  preparations  to 
be  present  on  this  great  occasion.  There  was  no  ade- 
quate means  of  transportation  for  the  crowd  ready  to 
go.  We  were  on  an  island,  and  dependent  upon  boats 
which  were  not  to  be  had.  Many  of  the  colored  peo- 
ple started  off  on  flats  and  in  dugouts,  trusting  to 
have  the  good  fortune  to  meet  some  larger  crafts  on 
the  Avay,  and  be  taken  aboard.  It  was  impossible  to 
secure  accommodations  in  the  newly  captured  city. 

Our  "  friends  at  court  "  could  only  promise  us  shel- 
ter and  protection.  Subsistence  was  a  question  past 
solution. 

Under  these  adverse  circumstances  we  who  were 
so  near  were  obliged  to  forego  the  pleasure  of  wit- 
nessing this  great  historical  event. 

A  little  later  we  went  with  General  and  Mrs.  Sax- 
ton  and  saw  the  city  in  its  desolation.  It  was  a  sad 
sight,  and  my  heart  ached  for  the  old  residents  who 


ASSASSIKATION   OF  PRESIDENT   LINCOLN       173 

had  struggled  so  bravely  and  suffered  so  mucli 
and  had  finally  lost  all.  We  too  had  suffered  and 
had  lost  those  nearest  and  dearest  to  us,  but  our 
homes  and  "sacred  hearth-stones"  were  left.^ 

Assassination  of  President  Lincoln. 

The  news  that  Petersburg  and  Richmond  were 
evacuated  and  that  General  Lee  had  surrendered  on 
April  9,  all  came  together.  The  colored  people 
were  wild  with  delight  over  this.  They  worked  all 
day,  and  sang  and  shouted  all  night. 

Our  mail  only  came  once  in  eight  days.  There 
were  no  telegraph  lines  nearer  than  Savannah,  and 
our  communication  with  this  city  and  Charleston  was 
very  irregular.  We  waited  with  what  patience  we 
could  for  the  next  steamer  to  Hilton  Head.  Alas  ! 
this  brought  direful  news  of  the  assassination  jof  Presi- 
dent Lincoln,  on  April  14.  The  steamer  sailed  from 
New  York  early  the  next  morning.  Some  gentlemen 
brought  us  a  New  York  extra,  which  they  secured 
just  as  the  steamer  for  Charleston  was  pushing  out 
from  the  wharf  at  New  York.  Our  information  was 
most  meagre.  We  did  not  know  whether  the  mur- 
derous blow  was  fatal  or  not.  We  only  knew  it  was 
possible,  so  we  waited  for  further  news  with  intense 
anxiety. 

The  poor  freed  people  were  filled  with  consterna- 
tion and  despair.  They  crowded  around  our  door 
constantly,  asking  what  would  be  done  now.  We 
could  tell  them  nothing,  for  we  knew  no  more  than 
they. 

1  See  Appendix.      -       . 


174         FIRST   DAYS    WITH   THE   CONTRABANDS 

One  freed  man  said,  "  Praise  God,  missis !  Praise 
God  I  I  couldn't  sleep  all  las'  night,  I  is  so  worrit 
in  my  mind  about  Massa  Linkum." 

The  "rice  people  "  always  spoke  of  the  President 
as  "  Uncle  Sam  "  and  "  Papa  Linkum,"  etc.  They 
gave  him  credit  for  all  the  wonderful  things  that  had 
been  done  since,  the  world  began.  And  now  they 
were  like  orphans  without  home  or  protection. 

A  woman  came  to  me  with  tears  streaming  down 
her  face.  She  said,  '^  I  come  to  beg  you'na  for  a  lee- 
tle  bit  o'  black  to  pit  aroun'  the  tail  o'  my  coat  [gown] 
to  mourn  for  poor  Papa  Sam." 

The  freed  people  in  our  district  were  now  working 
in  their  fields,  hoeing  the  corn  and  cotton  which  they 
had  planted  in  March.  They  were  under  the  care 
of  a  kind  and  judicious  superintendent,  and  were  con- 
tented and  happy  when  this  great  sorrow  came. 

"  How  will  the  war  end  ?  "  and  "  What  will  our 
country  do  now?  "  were  questions  daily  asked  of  us, 
for  which  we  had  no  answer.  We  could  only  counsel 
them  to  have  patience  and  faith  in  God's  goodness. 

When  the  final  news  came  we  had  funeral  services 
in  the  schoolhouse,  at  which  there  was  a  great  crowd 
of  freed  people.  Every  one  who  could  get  a  scrap  of 
black  had  put  it  on  as  a  mourning  badge. 

A  girl  had  a  black  band  tied  around  her  head. 
Another  had  a  piece  of  black  cambric  which  she  made 
into  a  bow  and  wore  as  a  top-knot. 

A  man  turned  his  coat  and  wore  it  inside  out 
because  it  had  a  "  mourning  lining,"  and  a  woman 
begged  us  for  some  strips  of  black  cambric,  which  she 


lee's  surrender  175 

basted  around  the  bottom  of  her  gown  and  up  and 
down  the  front  with  white  cotton.  Their  appearance 
would  have  been  ludicrous  had  it  not  been  so  sad. 

Their  prayers  were  heart-broken  lamentations. 
One  man  said,  — 

"  We  kneel  upon  de  groun',  wid  our  faces  in  our 
ban's  an'  our  ban's  in  de  dust,  an'  cry  to  thee  for 
marcy,  O  Lord,  dis  evenin'." 

Words  would  utterly  fail  to  describe  the  occasion. 
We  had  draped  the  room  with  black.  They  referred 
to  this  in  their  prayers,  as  a  symbol  of  the  dense  cloud 
of  sorrow  which  hung  over  their  lives.  Whatever 
they  heard  or  saw  was  repeated  and  woven  into  their 
supplications. 

One  of  the  leaders  intoned  his  prayer,  which,  in  its 
perfect  rhythmical  flow,  became  a  solemn  chant.  He 
called  the  martyred  president  by  every  tender  and 
endearing  tone  of  which  he  could  think,  ending  with : 
'^Massa  Linkum!  our  'dored  Redeemer  an'  Saviour 
an'  Frien' !     Amen  !  " 

Lee^s  Surrender. 

April  9  General  Lee  surrendered,  and  the  work  of 
reconstruction  may  be  said  to  have  begun  in  all  the 
seceded  States. 

The  news  of  this  surrender  and  the  disbanding  of 
Lee's  army,  and  the  breaking  up  of  the  Confederacy, 
came  with  that  of  the  death  of  President  Lincoln. 
But  the  joy  of  the  final  victory  was  swallowed  up  in 
the  grief  of  this  last  disaster.  The  poor  contrabands 
had  no  heart  to  rejoice.     Some  of   the   young  men 


176         FIRST   DAYS   WITH   THE   CONTRABANDS 

came  together  for  a  little  singing  and  shouting,  but 
the  older  people  looked  very  grave.  They  knew  that 
these  changes  were  full  of  tremendous  import  to  them, 
and  they  were  watchful  and  anxious. 

Nothing  in  the  history  of  the  world  has  ever 
equalled  the  magnitude  and  thrilling  importance 
of  the  events  then  transpiring.  Here  were  more 
than  four  millions  of  human  beings  just  born  into 
freedom;  one  day  held  in  the  most  abject  slavery, 
the  next,  "  de  Lord's  free  men."  Free  to  come  and 
to  go  according  to  the  best  lights  given  them.  Every 
movement  of  their  white  friends  was  to  them  full  of 
significance,  and  often  regarded  with  distrust.  Well 
might  they  sometimes  exclaim,  when  groping  from 
darkness  into  light,  "  Save  me  from  my  friend,  and  I 
will  look  out  for  my  enemy." 

Whilst  the  Union  people  were  asking,  *^  Those 
negroes!  what  is  to  be  done  with  them?"  they,  in 
their  ignorance  and  helplessness,  were  crying  out  in 
agony,  "  What  will  become  of  us  ?  "  They  were  lit- 
erally saying,  "  I  believe,  O  Lord !  help  thou  mine 
unbelief." 

They  were  constantly  coming  to  us  to  ask  what 
peace  meant  for  them  ?  Would  it  be  peace  indeed  ? 
or  oppression,  hostility,  and  servile  subjugation  ? 
This  was  what  they  feared,  for  they  knew  the  temper 
of  the  baffled  rebels  as  did  no  others. 

"  And  is  this  what  we  fight  for?  "  asked  the  young 
soldiers. 

The  hatred  of  some  white  people  for  the  colored 
race  amounted  almost  to  frenzy.     It  was  by  no  means 


LEE'S   SURRENDER.  177 

confined  to  the  old  Southerners,  but  was  largely 
shared  by  Northern  adventurers,  a  host  of  whom  had 
followed  the  army. 

It  took  time  for  the  freed  people  to  find  out  who 
were  their  true  friends.  But  they  gradually  learned 
to  discriminate.  Their  respect,  however,  for  a  white 
skin  was  amazing,  and  sometimes  made  us  ashamed 
of  our  own  race. 

One  of  our  colored  men,  who  had  been  deceived, 
and  grossly  cheated,  and  ill-treated  by  one  who  was 
known  as  a  missionary,  recounting  his  troubles  to 
me,  exclaimed,  — 

"  I  declar',  ma'am,  he  don't  desarve  to  be  a  white 
man.  He'll  shuck  ban's  wid  his  right  han',  an'  fling 
a  brick-bat  at  you  wid  his  lef '." 


178        FIliST  DAYS   WITH  THE   COKTKABANBS 


XIII 

JACK   FLOWEH'S   STRAW  BOAT 

Among  the  first  persons  who  came  to  us  to  get 
news  about  the  assassination  of  President  Lincoln,  was 
Jack  Flowers.  He  was  a  large  and  finely  built  black 
man,  who  had  made  incredible  efforts  to  get  out  of 
bondage. 

"  I  'spect  it's  no  use  to  be  here,"  he  said  dejectedly, 
''  I  might  as  well  stayed  where  I  was.  It  'pears  we 
can't  be  free,  nohow.  The  rebs  won't  let  us  alone. 
If  they  can't  kill  us,  they'll  kill  all  our  friens',  sure." 

I  had  already  heard  his  story,  and,  remembering 
what  he  had  braved  and  endured,  I  did  not  wonder 
he  now  lost  heart.  His  master  was  a  most  cruel  man, 
who  lived  on  the  main. 

Jack  had  always  been  under  brutal  overseers  and 
drivers,  who  followed  him  with  the  lash.  When  the 
war  broke  out  the  slaves  were  doubly  watched  and 
guarded,  being  driven  to  and  from  the  rice-fields  like 
wild  animals. 

For  years  Jack  had  been  studying  upon  his  condi- 
tion as  a  slave,  and  wondering  how  he  could  secure 
his  liberty ;  so  when  the  Union  forces  landed  at 
Hilton  Head,  he  resolved  to  get  to  them,  or  perish 


JACK  flower's   straw  BOAT  179 

in  the  attempt.  He  secretly  took  leave  of  his  family, 
and  ran  away,  first  hiding  in  the  rice-swamps  during 
the  day,  and  creeping  along  at  night,  until  he  reached 
the  woods.  Here  he  hid  in  the  bushes  until  dark, 
and  then  crawled  down  to  the  banks  of  the  creeks  and 
marshes  to  elude  the  dogs,  which  were  out  in  hot  pur- 
suit. At  one  time  he  stood  in  the  water  up  to  his  chin 
all  day,  the  hounds  were  so  near.  At  another  time  he 
was  ''bogged,"  and  sunk  so  deep  in  the  black  mud, 
he  despaired  of  ever  getting  out.  Finally,  he  made 
a  basket-boat,  woven  of  the  reeds  cut  in  the  swamps, 
and  calked  with  bits  of  cotton  picked  up  in  the  fields, 
and  smeared  with  the  pitch  from  the  pine-trees  near 
by.  In  this  frail  boat  he  drifted  with  the  tide  down 
the  river,  which  is  but  an  arm  of  the  sea,  until  he 
passed  the  Rebel  pickets.  Then  he  quietly  pad- 
dled himself  along  with  some  barrel  staves  he  had 
picked  up  in  the  woods,  until  he  reached  the  Union 
pickets,  whom  he  hailed  as  friends,  and 'begged  them 
to  protect  him. 

His  straw  boat  was  afterward  sent  to  Boston  to 
Governor  Andrew,  and  by  him  presented  to  the 
"  Prince  Hall  Grand  Lodge  of  Free  Masons." 

Jack  gave  us  a  long  and  thrilling  account  of  his 
perils  and  adventures  by  the  way.  I  copy  here  his 
story,  which  was  sent  with  the  boat,  and  which  was 
afterwards  published. 

Jack  made  several  attempts  to  pass  the  rebel  picket 
lines,  but  failed. 

*'  So,  when  I  found  it  was  no  use  to  get  over  that  way,  I  con- 
cluded to  try  another.    Uncle  lent  me  his  axe  and  knife,  and  I  cut 


180        FIRST  DAYS   WITH  THE   COKTKABAKDS 

a  lot  of  rushes  and  a  tough  oak-tree  for  splints,  and  went  to  work 
in  the  woods  and  made  this  basket;  it  took  me  two  days  to  weave 
it  after  the  stuff  was  all  ready.  The  pitch  I  got  by  cutting  into  a 
tree  and  catching  the  gum,  which  I  boiled  in  a  kettle  of  my  sis- 
ter's. The  old  shutter  came  from  Dr.  Fuller's  house.  It  w^as  three 
miles  to  the  water,  and  I  carried  the  basket  alone,  on  my  head,  in 
the  dark  night,  for  fear  of  the  pickets.  It  was  so  late  in  the  night 
when  I  got  all  ready  to  start  in  the  creek,  that  I  did  not  get  down 
to  the  Coosaw  till  day  clear.  So  I  landed  on  a  little  hummock 
close  by  the  mouth  of  the  creek,  and  hid  the  boat  and  myself  for 
another  day.  But  before  nine  o'clock  the  next  night  I  put  out 
and  paddled  over  to  Port  Royal,  too  glad  to  get  away.  The 
Yankee  picket  wan't  asleep,  but  challenged  me  before  I  got 
near  the  shore,  and  I  told  him  right  off  that  I  was  a  runaway 
nigger  coming  ashore  for  freedom.  The  secesh  picket  heard  me, 
and  after  I  got  up  the  bank  he  hailed  across,  *  Yanks,  who  have 
you  got?' 

*^  Yankees  say,  ^  One  of  your  fellows.' 

"  ^  What  you  going  to  do  with  him  ? ' 

"  '  Don't  know.     What  you  think  best  ? ' 

"  *  Cut  him  up  for  fish-bait.     He  ain't  good  for  nothing  else.' " 


JIMMIE  181 


XIV 

JIMMIE 

One  bright  morning  in  May,  1865,  an  orderly  rode 
up  to  our  door  at  the  plantation  with  a  military  order 
from  General  Saxton,  requiring  us.  Miss  Fannie  and 
myself,  to  report  at  headquarters  in  Beaufort  that 
afternoon.  An  ambulance  would  be  sent  for  us  at 
three  o'clock.  Unless  something  unexpected  pre- 
vented we  should  be  returned  to  our  home  Sunday 
afternoon.     This  was  Friday. 

With  this  order  was  a  bright  note  from  the  major  s 
wife,  telling  us  not  to  be  alarmed  by  a  military 
summons ;  they  all  knew  that  nothing  less  than  a 
command  with  authority  would  bring  us  to  them, 
and,  indeed,  we  must  know  they  wanted  to  see 
us  very  much ;  besides,  they  had  something  to 
tell  us. 

So  in  due  time  we  were  packed  into  an  ambulance 
and  conveyed  to  town,  where  we  were  received  at 
headquarters  by  an  orderly,  and  conducted  to  the  gen- 
eral. He  received  us  with  military  formality,  asked 
us  a  few  questions,  then  laughingly  ''  turned  us  over" 
to  the  colonel  and  major,  who  conducted  us  to  the 
ladies. 

Those  visits  to  headquarters  were  golden  days  in 


182         FIRST  DAYS   WITH  THE  COKTBABANDS 

our  busy  and  anxious  lives.  Others  besides  our- 
selves found  there  a  haven  of  rest.  No  one  ever 
came  officially  into  the  department,  or  left,  without 
experiencing  the  kindness  and  hospitality  of  the  gen- 
eral's household.  Who  can  and  will  write  the  story 
of  those  days  ?  To  Miss  Fannie  and  me  it  was  like 
another  world  to  see  the  faces  of  white  friends 
around  us. 

We  soon  learned  why  we  were  summoned  at  this 
special  time.  A  little  mulatto  boy  had  been  sent  to 
General  Saxton  by  Mrs.  Jefferson  Davis,  and  now 
the  question  came  up,  what  was  the  best  thing  to  do 
with  him. 

He  was  about  seven  years  old,  but  small  for  his 
age  ;  was  a  very  light  mulatto,  with  brown  curly  hair, 
thin  lips,  and  a  defiant  nose.  When  brought  before 
us  he  looked  around  suspiciously  and  fearlessly. 
When  Mrs.  Saxton  called  him  he  walked  calmly  up 
to  her ;  but  when  I  held  out  my  hand  to  him  he  folded 
his  arms  and  stood  still,  straight  as  an  arrow,  with  his 
head  thrown  back,  without  meeting  my  friendly  ad- 
vances. It  was  comical  to  see  the  cool  indifference  of 
this  tiny  scrap  of  humanity. 

"  Jimmie,  this  lady  is  your  friend,"  said  Mrs.  Sax- 
ton. Thereupon  he  walked  up  to  me  and  held  out 
his  hand.  "  Now  go  out  on  the  piazza,  and  wait  until 
I  call  you,"  continued  the  lady. 

Now  his  whole  manner  changed.  Taking  the  ma- 
jor's little  boy  by  the  hand,  he  went  out  of  the 
room  laughing  and  talking,  and  we  soon  saw  him  ra- 
cing around  with  Eddie  full  of  fun  and  frolic.     He 


JIMMIE  183 

was  evidently  fond  of  children,  but  he  distrusted 
grown  people.  Well  he  might,  for  he  had  seen  only 
troublous  times.  This  was  his  story,  as  then  told  us. 
I  copy  the  dates  from  other  records :  — 

''Jefferson  Davis  was  captured  at  Irwinsville, 
Georgia,  May  10, 1865.  He  had  with  him  his  fam- 
ily, his  Postmaster  General  Reagan,  his  Private  Sec- 
retary Harrison,  and  others,  with  a  train  of  five  wag- 
ons and  three  ambulances." 

From  Irwinsville  he  was  brought  to  Hilton  Head, 
where  he  was  placed  on  board  a  government  steamer 
to  be  taken  North.  For  the  first  time  he  was  now 
separated  from  his  family  and  friends. 

News  came  to  Beaufort  of  these  movements,  and 
the  steamer  Planter  was  sent  down  with  despatches. 
When  she  returned,  an  officer  on  board  brought  with 
him  this  small  colored  boy,  sent  by  Mrs.  Davis  to 
General  Saxton.  She  also  sent  a  note  by  the  boy, 
written  with  pencil  on  the  blank  leaf  of  a  book. 
I  quote  from  memory.     She  said:  — 

"  I  send  this  boy  to  you.  General  Saxton,  and  beg 
you  to  take  good  care  of  him."  His  mother  was  a 
free  colored  woman  in  Richmond.  She  died  when  he 
was  an  infant,  leaving  him  to  the  care  of  a  friend, 
who  was  cruel  and  neglectful  of  him.  One  day  Mrs. 
Davis  and  her  children  went  to  the  house  and  found 
this  woman  beating  the  little  fellow,  who  was  then 
only  two  years  old.  So  she  took  him  home  with  her, 
intending  to  find  a  good  place  for  him.  But  he  was 
so  bright  and  playful,  her  own  children  were  imwill- 
ing  to  give  him  up.     Then  she  decided  to  keep  him 


184        FIRST   DAYS   WITH   THE   COKTRABAKDS 

until  he  was  old  enough  to  learn  a  trade.  "  That  was 
five  years  ago,  and  he  has  shared  our  fortunes  and 
misfortunes  until  the  present  time.  But  we  can  do 
nothing  more  for  him.  I  send  him  to  you,  General 
Saxton,  as  you  were  a  friend  of  our  earlier  and  better 
times.  You  will  find  him  affectionate  and  tractable. 
I  beg  you  to  be  kind  to  him."  This  was  the  gist  of 
her  note. 

Poor  little  human  waif !  truly  a  child  born  with- 
out home  or  country ;  torn  from  all  the  friends  he 
had  ever  known,  and  brought  off  by  strangers  into 
the  enemy's  lines.  We  cannot  wonder  he  looked 
with  scorn  or  distrust  upon  all  around  him. 

As  he  was  the  constant  companion  and  playmate 
of  Mrs.  Davis's  children,  he  considered  himself  as 
one  of  them,  adopting  their  views  and  sharing  their 
prejudices.  President  Davis  was  to  him  the  one 
great  man  in  the  world.  Mrs.  Davis  had  given  him 
the  kindly  care  of  a  mother,  and  he  had  for  her  the 
loving  devotion  of  a  child. 

His  clothing  consisted  of  a  threadbare  jacket  and 
pants,  much  too  small  for  him.  He  had  no  covering 
for  his  head,  and  he  was  barefooted. 

One  of  the  ladies  asked  him  if  he  had  any  more 
clothing.  He  held  down  his  head,  and  said  with  a 
trembling  voice,  — 

''Her  couldn't  do  any  better,"  meaning  Mrs.  Davis  ; 
"  her  hadn't  any  more  to  give  me,  for  her  hadn't  any 
clothes  for  the  other  children.  Bud,"  meaning  Mrs. 
Davis's  oldest  boy,  ''  wanted  me  to  wear  his  cap,  and 
he  put  it  on  my  head,  but  her  said  him  wanted  it 


JIMMIE  185 

niore'na  me,  and  I  must  be  a  good  boy  till  her  send 
for  me." 

He  was  very  quick  and  active,  and  always  alert. 
One  day  he  heard  some  little  darkies  singing  ''  We'll 
hang  Jeff  Davis  on  a  sour-apple  tree."  This  was 
more  than  Jinimie  could  stand.  He  dashed  into 
their  gang,  and  waving  his  new  straw  hat,  of  which  he 
was  very  proud,  shouted,  "  Three  cheers  for  President 
Jefferson  Davis."  At  this  the  whole  crowd  was  in 
commotion.  They  shouted  "  A  rebel !  a  rebel !  "  and 
began  to  throw  oyster-shells  at  him,  and  all  wanted 
to  fight.  Jimmie  backed  up  against  the  house,  and 
told  them  to  come  on ;  that  "  President  Davis  was 
no  rebel,  but  a  good  gentleman  who  would  whip  the 
Yankees  yet." 

General  Saxton  was  informed  of  the  fight  going  on 
amongst  the  pickaninnies,  so  he  called  James  to  him 
and  questioned  him  about  the  affair. 

The  boy  bravely  told  him  all  that  had  happened, 
and  angrily  declared  that  if  he  were  a  man  he  would 
kill  every  one  of  them. 

General  Saxton  replied  it  was  true  General  Davis 
had  been  his  best  friend,  and  he  highly  approved  of  his 
fidelity  to  him.  But  fighting  for  him  v/as  of  no  avail. 
He  doubted  if  fighting  ever  helped  anybody.  He 
could  love  and  honor  President  Davis,  but  it  would 
be  wiser  at  present  to  say  nothing  about  him.  Mrs. 
Davis  had  sent  him  here,  and  they  meant  to  take  care 
of  him. 

The  little  fellow  faltered  out  that  — 

"  Her   didn't  want  to  send  me,  sir,  and  her  cry 


186         FIRST  DAYS   WITH   THE   CONTRABANDS 

when  I  come  away."  But  after  that  he  never  men- 
tioned the  name  of  Jefferson  Davis,  and  was  very 
unwilling  to  be  questioned  about  him. 

He  was  quite  willing  to  talk  to  the  ladies  about 
Mrs.  Davis  and  his  life  in  Richmond ;  told  them  of  the 
death  of  one  of  General  Davis's  little  boys  who  fell 
from  the  piazza  which  ran  along  by  the  kitchen,  and 
was  killed  on  the  brick  pavement  in  the  yard.  Jim- 
mie,  who  was  his  constant  playfellow,  was  the  first  to 
get  to  him,  and  he  sat  down  on  the  bricks  and  lifted 
his  head  on  to  his  lap.  And  "  her  found  them  so  when 
her  come,  and  her  screamed,"  and  the  negroes  carried 
both  the  children  into  the  house  together. 

In  time  the  little  fellow  grew  used  to  his  life 
amongst  the  Union  soldiers.  Good  food  and  good 
care  made  another  boy  of  him.  One  thing  he  could 
not  forget,  —  the  forcible  separation  of  General  Davis 
from  his  family.  He  was  overheard  talking  with  a 
sergeant  one  day,  who  had  evidently  been  question- 
ing him. 

''When  the  officers  took  hold  of  the  president  to 
lead  him  away,  Mrs.  Davis  threw  her  arms  tight  about 
him.  Then  another  officer  came  up  and  took  hold  of 
her,  and  she  screamed  and  fell  down,  and  all  the  people 
thought  she  was  dead.  And  I  said  I  would  kill  that 
man,  and  so  I  will  when  I  grow  to  be  a  man,"  ex- 
claimed the  little  fellow  striking  out  in  fierce  anger, 
while  the  tears  streamed  down  his  face. 

General  and  Mrs.  Saxton  took  him  with  them  to 
Charleston,  and  while  there  he  became  very  fond  of  his 
new  protectors.    But  the  vicissitudes  of  army  life  made 


JIMMIE  187 

it  impossible  for  them  to  keep  him,  so  he  was  sent 
to  us  to  be  taken  North  and  placed  where  he  could  go 
to  school.  This  was  another  great  trial  for  the  lad. 
Poor  little  waif !  like  a  seed  borne  by  the  wind  far 
from  its  native  land;  with  no  natural  ties  or  even  a 
lawful  name. 

When  Mrs.  Saxton  told  him  he  was  to  go  to  the 
plantation  she  said,  "  You  will  be  very  happy  with 
the  ladies."  He  tearfully  replied,  "  I'll  be  more  hap- 
pier with  the  general.  I  likes  to  wait  on  them  I 
love." 

He  came  to  us  in  March,  and  soon  settled  down 
into  regular  duties  in  school,  where  he  seemed  very 
happy.  One  day  he  said,  "Is  to-day  March?  well, 
to-morrow  will  be  deeper  March,  won't  it  ?  And 
then  summer  will  come,  and  I  shall  see  the  general." 
He  told  me  with  evident  pleasure  of  the  presents  of- 
fered General  Saxton  in  Charleston.  Then  he  said 
thoughtfully,  "  God  is  a  good  man,  ain't  him  ?  I 
think  him  and  General  Saxton  two  of  the  goodest 
men  in  the  world." 

When  it  was  explained  to  him  that  God  was  not  a 
man,  he  seemed  to  reflect  upon  it  for  a  time  ;  then 
he  exclaimed,  ''  Well,  the  general  is  most  as  good  as 
him !  "  I  may  say  in  this  connection,  the  little  fellow 
came  North,  and  remained  with  us  in  our  country 
home  for  the  summer.  While  waiting  for  a  home 
to  be  found  for  him,  I  sent  him  to  a  district  school 
not  far  away,  established  for  the  children  belonging 
to  the  operatives  in  a  small  mill  close  by. 

These  people  were  mostly  foreigners,  and  this  boy 


188         FIRST   DAYS    WITH   THE   CONTRABANDS 

was  a  '-'-nagur^''  a  new  specimen  to  most  of  the  chil- 
dren. He  was  active  and  playful,  and  I  must  confess 
he  had  many  pranks,  learned  from  the  soldiers  while 
in  camp.  Besides,  in  virtue  of  his  light  skin  and 
curly  hair,  and  as  he  belonged  to  '^  the  gineral,"  he 
had  been  leader  and  ruler  amongst  his  little  comrades 
at  the  South ;  and  having  played  with  the  children 
in  President  Davis's  family,  and  been  a  boon  com- 
panion with  them,  young  as  he  was,  he  had  no  fear 
or  reserve  with  white  children  elsewhere.  Indeed,  he 
seemed  to  belong  more  to  the  white  race  than  the 
black. 

As  we  were  warned,  trouble  soon  came  in  school  on 
his  account ;  the  children  all  ''  ganged  "  against  him, 
and  he,  to  defend  himself,  threw  mud  and  stones  and 
whatever  he  could  lay  his  hands  on.  So  one  night  I 
was  called  upon  by  one  of  the  mill-hands,  who  was 
very  angry.     He  began  by  saying,  — 

"  Your  nigger  boy  struck  one  of  my  children  to- 
day. I  come  to  tell  you  that  nigger  brat  must  leave 
that  school,  or  I  won't  answer  for  the  consequences. 
I  won't  stand  it,  I  warn  you." 

I  waited  a  moment,  and  then  said,  ''  I  am  very 
sorry.     Please  sit  down  and  tell  me  all  about  it." 

Upon  this  the  man  took  off  his  hat  and  made  a 
bow  as  he  took  a  seat.  He  seemed  a  little  ashamed 
when  he  tried  to  tell  his  story,  and  he  ended  by 
saying,— 

''  It  wan't  much  after  all,  and  I  shouldn't  wonder 
if  my  children  provoked  him,  for  they  can  be  provok- 
ing, and  no  mistake." 


JIMMIE  189 

I  promised  to  go  with  the  boy  the  next  day  and  see 
the  teacher.  So  when  the  bell  rang  the  next  morning 
we  walked  down  to  the  schoolhouse,  where  I  found 
about  twenty  bright-looking  children,  who  were  evi- 
dently expecting  us. 

I  questioned  the  teacher,  who  gave  a  very  mild 
report  of  the  affair.  Then  I  talked  to  the  children, 
telling  them  how  sorry  I  was  that  any  trouble  had 
come ;  that  this  little  fellow  was  a  stranger  who 
was  born  hundreds  of  miles  from  this  place,  who  had 
no  home,  and  neither  father  nor  mother,  nor  sister  nor 
brother,  and  no  relation  in  the  world  that  he  knew 
anything  about.  I  could  not  help  contrasting  their 
condition  with  that  of  this  forlorn  little  stranger; 
''  For,"  said  I,  "  he  has  no  one  at  the  North  to  stand 
up  for  him  but  myself,  and  I  must  soon  leave 
him." 

The  children  began  to  look  sympathetic,  and  be- 
fore I  stopped  speaking,  the  little  girl  who  had  made 
the  complaint  walked  across  the  room  and  gave 
Jimmie  a  big  red  apple  she  had  in  her  hand.  From 
that  time  there  was  no  further  trouble,  and  James 
became  the  hero  of  the  school. 

In  the  autumn  a  place  was  found  for  him,  but  the 
same  trouble  came  up  about  sending  him  to  school. 
He  could  not  be  admitted  because  "  he  was  a  nig- 
ger." 

He  was  then  sent  farther  off  in  the  country,  with 
the  same  result.  There  would  have  been  no  trouble 
in  the  cities,  but  the  country  people  were  not  to  ba 
imposed  upon. 


190         FIRST   DAYS   WITH   THE   CONTRABANDS 

Finally  the  little  boy  drifted  into  Auntie  Gwynne's 
Home.  This  noble  woman  placed  him  where  he  was 
well-trained  in  all  ways,  having  the  advantage  of 
school,  as  well  as  a  good  practical  education,  until  he 
was  old  enough  to  support  himself. 


DISBANDING  THE  TROOPS  191 


XV 

DISBANDING  THE   TROOPS 

April  13,  1865,  the  Secretary  of  War,  Edward  M. 
Stanton,  issued  orders  for  disbanding  part  of  the 
troops. 

The  news  of  this  order  did  not  reach  us  officially 
for  some  time.  Then  came  a  notice  that  government 
transports  would  be  taken  away,  and  everything 
belonging  to  the  army  be  removed.  Three  large 
steamers  headed  towards  Beaufort  went  by  our  place. 
In  time,  one  crowded  with  soldiers  from  the  hospi- 
tals returned.  These  were  the  straws  which  told 
which  way  the  wind  blew. 

Of  course  the  freed  people  around  us  watched  every 
movement  with  trembling  interest,  and  wondered 
what  would  come  next.  It  is  not  strange  they  grew 
faint-hearted.  We  sympathized  most  deeply  with 
them.  The  officers  around  us  could  not  tell  what 
these  changes  portended.  They  received  their  orders 
and  obeyed.  The  colored  leaders  called  a  mass-meet- 
ing at  the  schoolhouse,  to  discuss  affairs.  But  it 
was  a  "  praise-meeting,"  without  political  discussion. 
The  time  had  not  come  for  that.  The  prayers  and 
speeches  of  the  negroes  were  indescribably  touching. 


192        FIKST   DAYS    WITH   THE   CONTRABANDS 

There  was  not  a  word  of  bitterness  or  animosity. 
The  gist  of  the  meeting  was,  — 

"  O  Lord,  if  it  so  please  thee,  do,  we  pray  thee, 
tuck  care  o'  we." 

Some  of  their  expressions,  with  such  a  full  measure 
of  love  and  good-will  towards  men,  seemed  to  us 
really  sublime.  They  literally  said  of  their  old  own- 
ers, "  Father,  forgive  them,  for  they  know  not  what 
they  do." 

Their  supplications  were  always  impressive.  One 
night  we  attended  a  meeting  where  prayers  were  to 
be  offered  for  a  gentleman  in  our  household  who  was 
very  ilL  The  leaders  of  the  church  had  asked  to  be 
allowed  to  pray  with  him.  We  suggested  a  praise- 
meeting  should  be  held  at  the  negro  quarters  instead. 
Their  supplications  in  his  behalf  were  most  earnest 
and  tender.     One  of  the  elders  said  in  his  prayer,  — 

'' Everybody  has  to  tote  him  own  load,  an'  some 
have  big  loads  an'  some  have  little  ones,  but  nobody 
can  tote  for  him  neighbor.  But  if  the  dear  Lord  so 
please  to  let  we  tote  poor  sick  massa's  load,  we'm 
bear  it  all  till  him  clean  done  git  well." 

We  announced  that  school  would  be  closed  the  last 
of  June  for  the  summer.  Some  of  the  women  in  our 
district  were  in  a  transport  of  despair  when  they 
heard  this.  In  vain  we  told  them  we  only  took  a 
vacation,  and  would  surely  come  back  again.  This 
was  unintelligible,  and  they  found  no  comfort  in 
what  we  said.  They  could  not  get  beyond  the  fact 
that  they  were  to  be  deserted  and  left  unprotected. 

An  old  woman  appeared  before  me  one  morning 


DISBANDING  THE  TKOOPS  193 

looking  anxious  and  troubled.  As  soon  as  she  saw 
me  she  exclaimed,  — 

'^  Missis,  I  come  for  ax  you'na  to  be  so  please  to 
larn  me  one  little  hymn  'fore  you  go.  I  ain't  got 
long  for  stay  here.  I  'spects  the  Big  Massa  will  call 
me  home  'fore  long,  an*  w'en  I  gets  up  there  I  ain't 
know  what  to  say.  I  ain't  know  one  t'ing  to  tell 
de  Big  Massa.  Please,  missis,  larn  me  somet'ing, 
an'  w'en  I  goes,  mebbe  de  angels  will  help  me  to 
'member." 

Another  old  women  came  to  expostulate. 

''  You  mus'n't  go ! "  she  exclaimed  with  righteous 
indignation.  "  Massa  Sam  sen'  you  to  tuck  care  o' 
we,  an'  you  mus'  tuck  care." 

Then  to  my  reply  she  said,  — 

''  O  ma'am,  us  tuck  you  for  our  missis,  an'  you 
mus'  stay  wid  we  till  you  dead  we  all.  Dear  missis, 
what'll  us  do  ef  you  lef '  us  here  ?  " 

A  lame  woman  came.     She  said,  — 

"  I  tell  you  what,  ma'am,  the  secesh  ain't  coming 
back  here  to  let  we  alone.  Dear  missis,  ef  you'na  all 
go  North  an'  lef  we,  the  rebs  will  make  it  mighty 
hard  for  we.  I'se  born  an'  bring  up  here,  an'  I  know 
dem.  Dey  was  debils  'fore  dem  bin  gone  away,  an' 
dey  ain't  going  to  be  better  now,  sure." 

The  "  tight  times  "  had  already  come.  Provisions 
were  getting  very  scarce.  Only  the  old  and  infirm 
received  rations  from  government.  The  young  and 
able-bodied  men  and  women,  and  all  who  could, 
were  required  to  work  in  the  fields  and  earn  subsis- 
tence for  themselves  and  families.     This  was  often 


194        FIRST  DAYS   WITH   THE   CONTRABANDS 

scanty  enough.  In  April  and  May,  when  blackberries 
and  plums  were  ripe,  the  little  children  picked  and 
sold  what  they  could. 

Early  one  morning  I  found  two  little  girls  on  the 
piazza  with  blackberries  "for  sell."  They  had  also 
two  eggs  "  for  give  you,  ina'am."  They  came  the 
night  before,  but,  finding  we  were  not  at  home,  went 
away.  Upon  inquiry  I  found  they  had  no  supper 
but  their  berries.  They  now  wanted  to  sell  what 
they  could,  so  as  to  go  to  the  town  five  miles  away 
and  buy  "  grub "  for  the  family  breakfast.  Such 
interviews  were  of  daily  occurrence. 

"  I  tell  you  what,  ma'am,"  said  old  Aunt  Mila,  who 
was  nearly  one  hundred  years  old,  "  dese  am  sich 
tight  times.  Every  one  for  himself,  an'  God  for  we 
all." 

These  were  not  easy  times  for  ourselves.  June 
16  Miss  Fannie  wrote,  "  We  have  intensely  hot 
weather.  The  mercury  goes  up  to  ninety-five  degrees 
daily.  It  has  been  sixteen  days  since  we  have  had  a 
letter  or  paper  or  any  message  from  the  North.  The 
mail  arrived  yesterday,  and  we  have  had  a  time  of 
rejoicing.      We  are  indeed  making  history  fast.^^ 

So  many  people  came  to  us  for  advice  and  help, 
that  the  routine  of  our  daily  lives  was  entirely  dis- 
organized. Good  "  Aunt  Jane's  "  sympathies  for 
others  made  her  forgetful  of  our  own  needs.  In 
spite  of  remonstrances,  her  breakfast  was  a  little  later 
every  day.  The  same  with  other  meals,  until  we 
decided  that  some  day  we  should  skip  all  together, 
and  call  the  last  meal  at  night  our  next  day's  break- 


EETURK   OF   ABANDONED  LANDS  195 

fast.  We  could  not  get  vexed,  for  the  poor  old 
woman  was  so  contrite  when  her  attention  was  called 
to  our  condition. 

School  continued  with  a  degree  of  regularity. 
The  children  came  early,  and  the  men  and  women 
hurried  from  their  field-work  at  noon,  all  more  and 
more  eager  "•  for  larn." 

To  know  how  to  educate  and  elevate  this  peculiar 
race  was  a  serious  problem  for  us  to  solve. 

Our  Northern  friends  were  unwearied  in  their  ef- 
forts to  help  us.  They  packed  boxes  and  barrels  with 
second-hand  clothing  and  sewing  materials,  and  books 
and  supplies  for  the  school,  and  sent  them  along  as 
fast  as  transportation  could  be  secured,  but  still  there 
was  need  for  more. 

In  August,  in  my  home  at  the  North,  I  received  a 
letter  from  a  young  officer  in  Beaufort :  — 

"  The  Freedmen's  Bureau  down  here  did  not  give 
satisfaction  to  Colonel  Fullerton,  General  Howard's 
adjutant-general,  nor  to  Mr.  Alvord,  who  is  also  an 
agent  from  General  Howard.  They  say  not  nearly 
so  much  has  been  accomplished  here  as  in  other 
sections." 

Such  reports  made  us  very  anxious  for  the  welfare 
of  our  poor  contrabands. 

Return  of  Abandoned  Lands, 

Oct.  9,  1865,  an  order  was  issued  from  the  War 
Department  directing  Major-General  Howard,  com- 
mander of  the  Bureau  of  Refugees,  Freedmen  and 
Abandoned  Lands,  to  go  to  South  Carolina,  Geor- 


196         FIRST   DAYS   WITH   THE   CONTKABAKDS 

gia,  and  Florida,  to  "  effect  a  satisfactory  arrange- 
ment by  which  the  lands  might  be  returned  to  the 
former  owners.  Certain  tracts  of  land  in  these  States 
situated  on  the  coast,  at  the  time  for  the  most  part 
vacant,  were  set  apart  by  Major-General  W.  T.  Sher- 
man's Special  Field  Order,  No.  15,  for  the  benefit  of 
refugees  and  freedmen  that  had  been  congregated  by 
the  operations  of  war,  or  had  been  left  to  take  care 
of  themselves  by  former  owners." 

By  this  action  of  the  national  authority,  "  an  ex- 
pectation was  created  that  they  would  be  able  to 
retain  possession  of  said  lands."  The  reason  given  for 
"•  interfering  with  the  occupants  established  by  gov- 
ernment upon  lands  so  long  in  its  possession,"  was 
"  that  a  large  number  of  the  former  owners  are  earn- 
estly soliciting  the  restoration  of  the  same,  and  prom- 
ising to  absorb  the  land  and  care  for  the  freedmen." 

It  is  not  my  wish  now  to  sit  in  judgment  upon  the 
acts  of  those  early  days.  I  only  record  the  facts  and 
their  effects  upon  the  freed  people.  Most  of  the  land 
on  the  sea-islands  had  been  divided  up  and  sold  to 
them.  The  news  of  this  order,  and  the  expected 
visit  of  General  Howard,  were  terrible  blows  to 
them.  They  regarded  the  return  of  the  former  own- 
ers as  an  inauguration  of  the  old  slavery  times,  with 
the  worst  consequences. 

On  Edisto,  one  of  the  largest  and  most  fertile 
of  the  sea-islands,  the  negroes  were  intelligent,  in- 
dustrious, and  thrifty.  When  the  commissioners  ar- 
rived with  the  "  secesh  owners,"  the  freed  people 
had  ah'eady  begun  to  repair  their  houses,  and  to  clean 
up  the  ground,  ready  to  plant. 


RETURN    OF   ABANDONED   LANDS  19T 

General  Howard  reported :  "  It  is  exceedingly  diffi- 
cult to  reconcile  conflicting  interests." 

We  need  not  be  surprised  that  for  a  time  there  was 
a  degree  of  antagonism  between  the  whites  and 
blacks;  but  the  negroes  were  reported  to  ^'have 
shown  good  sense  and  dignity,  and  in  time  the  old 
habit  of  submission  prevailed." 

The  following  report  of  a  Georgian  shows  the  con- 
dition of  the  people  everywhere  in  this  crisis :  — 

"  The  blacks  eat,  sleep,  move,  live,  only  by  the  tolerance  of  the 
whites,  who  hate  them.  The  blacks  own  absolutely  nothing  but 
their  bodies  ;  their  former  masters  own  everything,  and  will  sell 
them  nothing.  If  a  black  man  draws  even  a  bucket  of  water  from 
a  well,  he  must  first  get  the  permission  of  a  white  man,  his  enemy. 
If  he  sleeps  in  a  house  over  night,  it  is  only  by  the  leave  of  a  white 
man.  If  he  buys  a  loaf  of  bread,  he  must  buy  of  a  white  man. 
If  he  asks  for  work  to  earn  his  living,  he  must  ask  it  of  a  white 
man,  and  the  whites  are  determined  to  give  him  no  work  except  on 
such  terms  as  will  make  him  a  serf,  and  impair  his  liberty.  In 
different  parts  of  the  South,  the  planters  are  already  combining  for 
this  purpose;  they  engage  themselves  to  each  other  not  to  sell  or 
lease  land  to  a  black  man  on  any  terms ;  not  to  employ  them  except 
by  the  year,  and  on  certain  conditions,  and  not  to  suffer  ihem  to  live 
on  their  places  unless  they  submit  to  the  planter's  conditions." 

Strange  as  this  language  may  sound  at  the  present 
time,  it  is  a  true  index  of  the  spirit  of  '66.  Well 
might  our  freed  people  hang  their  heads  and  talk  of 
"  uncommon  tight  times,"  with  one  hope  alone,  that 
''  God  is  fur  we  all." 

The  freedmen  and  their  friends  had  not  recovered 
from  their  dismay  at  the  order  from  the  War  Depart- 
ment that  the  lands  should  be  returned,  when  the  fol- 
lowing circular  No.  1  was  issued  :  — 


198        FIKST  DAYS   WITH  THE  CONTRABANDS 

Charleston,  S.C,  Jan.  20, 1866. 
In  obedience  to  instructions  from  the  commissioner,  I  hereby 
transfer  the  control  of  the  affairs  of  the  Bureau  of  Refugees,  Freed- 
men,  and  Abandoned  Lands  to  Brig. -Gen.  R.  K.  Scott,  U.  S.  Vols., 
who  is  appointed  assistant  commissioner  for  South  Carolina. 

(Signed.)  R.*  Saxton. 

Capt,  A.  Q.  M.    Bvt.  Col.  U,  S.  A. 

Assistant  Commissioner, 

This  order  was  a  keen  disappointment  to  all  of  us 
who  knew  so  well  what  General  Saxton  had  done  to 
aid  the  cause  of  the  freedmen.  It  was  he  who  first 
encouraged  them  to  buy  lands.  He  helped  to  get 
the  order  passed  to  have  parts  of  the  old  abandoned 
plantations  cut  up  into  ten-acre  lots  and  sold  to  the 
negroes.  He  had  been  urgent  that  a  law  should  be 
passed  that  these  lands  should  not  be  sold  by,  or 
alienated  from,  the  original  purchasers,  who  must 
be  negroes  and  heads  of  families,  until  six  years 
from  the  enactment  of  this  law.  This  was  to  save 
them  from  sharpers  and  carpet-baggers  at  home  and 
abroad.  He  had  advised  the  people  to  build  small 
houses,  and  get  out  of  the  old  negro  quarters  as  soon 
as  possible,  knowing  they  would  never  be  entirely 
free  until  they  had  abiding-places  they  could  surely 
call  their  own.  He  was  watchful  to  see  that  only 
good  superintendents  should  be  over  them,  and  was 
severe  upon  any  acts  of  unfairness  or  dishonesty. 
All  this  helped  to  get  for  Beaufort  the  name  of  "  The 
Nigger's  Heaven." 

When  the  order  came  that  the  lands  should  be 
restored.  General  Saxton  decided  that  goveraiment 
had  failed  in  its  promises  to  him.  Hence  his  re- 
moval. 


HELP  FOR  THE  SOUTH  199 

No  one  wished  to  bear  the  news  of  this  reversal  of 
opinion  to  the  freed  people.  Certainly  it  was  a 
difficult  task  for  General  Howard.  Perhaps  no  one 
could  have  done  this  with  more  tact  than  he.  The 
people  were  won  by  his  kind  consideration  of  their 
views  and  position.  He  gained  their  confidence, 
which  was  more  than  half  the  conquest. 

Help  for  the  South. 

Nov.  26,  1865,  Governor  Andrew  of  Boston  wrote 
the  following  letter  to  his  friend  and  pastor,  Rev. 
James  Freeman  Clarke  :  — 

*^  I  desire  to  echo  your  suggestion  made  to-day  after  sermon, 
and  I  hope  for  an  efficient  movement  in  behalf  of  the  freedmen. 

**  Although  the  Government  of  the  United  States  ought  to  serve 
out  rations,  and  protect  the  poor  people  from  the  suffering  from 
hunger  impending  this  winter,  there  will  still  be  large  room  left  for 
private  charity.  Labor  disorganized,  fields  wasted,  crops  unmade, 
planters  impoverished  and  demoralized,  the  freedmen  uncertain 
and  half  protected,  they  and  their  old  masters  mutually  doubt- 
ful of  each  other,  the  poor  whites  hostile  in  great  measure,  and 
all  the  victims  more  of  their  ignorance  and  of  antecedent  circum- 
stances than  of  present  bad  intentions,  —  this  is  the  picture  a 
large  part  of  the  South  now  exhibits.  We  of  the  North  are  in 
comfort  and  prosperity.  We  must  intervene  for  the  immediate 
preservation  of  the  colored  people  of  the  South,  powerless,  for  the 
moment,  to  save  themselves,  and  by  wise  and  prudent  gener- 
osity help  to  float  them  over  until  a  new  crop  can  be  made. 
Acting  in  connection  with  the  Freedmen's  Bureau,  and  with  sen- 
sible and  practical  agents,  a  million  of  dollars  raised  by  the  North 
before  Christmas,  while  in  reality  and  comparatively  a  small  sum, 
would  do  unspeakable  good.'* 

This  is  indeed  ''  a  picture  "  of  the  condition  in 
which  we  found  our  district  when  we  returned  to  it 


200         FIKST   DAYS   WITH   THE   CONTRABANDS 

in  October  of  the  same  year.  This  letter  also  shows 
tlie  kindly  spirit  prevading  the  North  ;  an  apprecia- 
tion of  the  devastation  and  desolation  of  the  whole 
South,  and  a  readiness  to  lend  a  helping  hand  to 
build  up  on  a  better  foundation  the  social  structure 
so  recently  pulled  down. 

A  little  later  Rev.  Oliver  C.  Everett  wrote  us  from 
Boston  :  — 

"  From  what  I  can  learn,  it  seems  to  me  that  the  freedmen  will 
have  a  liberal  share  of  the  heart  and  strength,  of  the  sympathy  and 
means,  of  the  North.  The  churches  in  all  the  various  denomina- 
tions are  awakening  to  this  matter.  Soon  we  shall  see  the  inter- 
est which  was  felt  for  the  Sanitary  Commission  turned  into  this 
new  channel.  The  people  are  ready  and  willing;  they  have  got 
their  hands  in  the  work,  and  they  understand  the  working  of  the 
machinery  whereby  great  good  may  be  accomplished." 

The  same  date,  Dec.  13,  1865,  another  friend 
wrote :  — 

*'  To-morrow  morning  I  am  going  over  to  New  York  as  a  dele- 
gate to  a  meeting  to  consider  whether  the  freedmen's  societies  and 
refugees'  aid  societies  shall  be  united,  so  that  the  charity  of  the 
North  to  the  South  may  go  through  one  channel,  and  be  distrib- 
uted without  regard  to  race  or  color.  The  plan  has  been  proposed 
as  one  which  will  tend  to  allay  jealousy  against  the  blacks,  and  to 
secure  greater  respect  for  teachers  of  the  freedmen.  The  principle 
of  ignoring  race  or  color  is  good,  but  there  may  be  practical  diffi- 
culties inuniting  the  different  societies.^^ 

The  delight  of  the  freed  people  in  our  district 
when  they  welcomed  us  back  to  our  home  and  school 
in  the  autumn  would  have  compensated  us  for  all 
the  anxieties  and  inconveniences  we  had  experienced 
on  the  way. 

As  soon  as  peace  was  declared,  many  of  the  old 


HELP   FOR   THE   SOUTH  201 

refugees  were  eager  to  get  back  to  their  former  homes 
on  the  old  plantations.  We  had  tried  to  dissuade 
them  from  acting  hastily,  but  we  found  several  fami- 
lies had  gone  back  to  the  main  in  our  absence.  They 
had  a  great  longing  to  be  with  'Hhe  old  folks  at 
home." 

When  school  began  we  were  much  surprised  to 
find  the  children  had  forgotten  so  little  of  what  they 
had  learned  before.  The  first  day  of  school  they 
opened  their  books  at  the  place  they  left  off,  as  if  only 
a  few  hours  instead  of  months  had  intervened  since 
they  were  last  in  their  classes.  The  children  only 
were  at  liberty  now,  and  could  attend  regularly ;  but 
every  man  and  woman,  far  and  near,  came  to  get 
their  names  enrolled,  —  ''  to  get  themselves  ticketed," 
they  called  it. 

About  that  time  a  young  officer  came  from  Charles- 
ton, bringing  a  gloomy  report  of  affairs  around  there. 
Things  looked  threatening.  If  the  military  was  en- 
tirely removed,  as  announced,  bloodshed  and  insur- 
rection were  predicted  before  New  Year's.  In  the 
country  great  bitterness  arose  between  the  whites 
and  blacks.  This  was  the  season  when  they  were 
making  new  labor  contracts  for  the  coming  year. 
The  whites  ordered  and  threatened.  The  blacks  had 
armed  themselves,  and  were  drilling.  It  was  resist- 
ance against  force. 

I  mention  these  things  to  show  the  spirit  of  the 
times. 

President  Johnson's  message  did  not  help  us  out 
of  our  confusion  in  regard  to  reconstruction  and  the 


202         FIRST   DAYS   WITH   THE   CONTRABANDS 

prospects  of  the  freed  people,  who  were  our  especial 
care.  Then  came  tlie  proclamation  that  all  the  con- 
fiscated lands,  not  already  sold,  should  be  returned 
to  the  original  owners.  This  was  a  discouraging  set- 
back to  the  freed  people,  who  had  occupied  and  culti- 
vated these  lands  during  the  war,  and  were  noAV  living 
in  their  old  quarters ;  and  they  had  nowhere  else  to 
go.  It  was  particularly  hard  for  the  people  living 
on  the  islands  around  Charleston.  There  was  not  a 
foot  of  land  they  could  secure  and  call  their  own,  and 
no  place  where  they  were  at  liberty  to  remain,  except- 
ing by  the  will  of  their  old  masters.  The  richest  and 
finest  plantations  in  the  world  were  on  these  islands. 
The  slaves  were  a  "prime  lot,"  of  whom  their  owners 
were  justly  proud.  These  were  a  set  of  fine,  manly, 
intelligent  fellows  who  had  carried  on  the  plantations, 
raising  and  selling  marvellous  crops  for  their  old 
owners  in  former  times. 

Before  the  holidays.  Colonel  Ketchum,  of  General 
Howard's  staff,  went  with  some  of  the  former  owners 
to  Edisto  Island  to  arrange  about  their  lands,  prelimi- 
nary to  finally  returning  them.  He  was  much  im- 
pressed by  the  dignity  and  manliness  of  the  negroes 
in  this  first  interview.  They  were  firm  in  refusing 
to  give  up  their  old  homes  unless  other  lands  were 
given  them.  They  held  this  as  their  right,  promised 
by  government.  They  were  also  firm  in  refusing  to 
work  for  their  old  masters  unless  guaranteed  recog- 
nition and  protection. 

News  came  at  this  time  that  the  military  officers 
were  to  have  charge  of  all  affairs  connected  with  the 


HELP   FOK   THE   SOUTH  203 

Freedman's  Bureau.  This  was  another  disappoint- 
ment to  all  persons  interested  in  the  negroes.  This 
meant  the  removal  of  their  friends,  and  their  places 
occupied  by  indifferent  and  sometimes  hostile  offi- 
cials. This  was  the  period  when  their  good  and  tried 
friend,  General  Saxton,  was  replaced. 


204         FIRST   DAYS   WITH   THE   CONTRABANDS 


XVI 

EMANCIPATION  JUBILEE 

New  Year's  Day,  1866,  we  were  present  at  the 
emancipation  jubilee  on  the  race-course  in  Charleston. 
It  was  estimated  there  were  over  ten  thousand  col- 
ored people  around  the  speaker's  stand.  Most  of 
these  were  comfortably  dressed,  and  all  were  digni- 
fied, earnest,  and  intelligent-looking.  Many  of  the 
soldiers  on  duty  were  negroes,  waiting  to  be  mustered 
out.  The  streets  of  the  city  were  filled  with  happy 
freed  people.  According  to  their  spiritual,  they  had 
''  fought  for  liberty,"  and  this  was  their  "  New  Jeru- 
salem," of  which  they  so  often  sang.  Even  the  poor- 
est, and  those  most  scantily  clothed,  looked  as  if  they 
already  ''  walked  that  golden  street,"  and  felt  ''  that 
starry  crown  "  upon  their  uncovered  heads.  It  was 
indeed  a  day  of  great  rejoicing,  and  one  long  to  be 
remembered.  These  people  were  living  their  "  New 
Jerusalem,"  which  had  been  their  Marseillaise. 

All  the  best  friends  of  the  freed  people  were  on  the 
stand  as  their  guests.  The  managers  and  marshals, 
and  all  officials,  were  black  men.  General  Saxton, 
''  Father  French,"  and  some  colored  preachers  made 
short  addresses,  appealing  to  their  common-sense  and 


EMANCIPATION   JUBILEE  205 

best  intelligence.  Such  a  mass  of  eager,  earnest,  up- 
turned faces  was  truly  inspiring.  The  struggles  and 
wrongs  of  all  the  past  years  seemed  swallowed  up  in 
victory. 

General  Saxton  spoke  to  them  earnestly  of  the  im- 
portance of  becoming  honest,  industrious,  and  sober. 
If  they  wanted  land,  they  must  work  for  it ;  fill  their 
pockets  with  greenbacks,  and  buy  land ;  fling  away 
the  idea  they  were  to  be  taken  care  of ;  take  their 
places  amongst  men  and  earn  their  own  living ;  to 
all  of  which  they  eagerly  assented. 

Colonel  Ketchum  advised  them  to  emulate  their 
neighbors  on  Edisto  Island.  When  he  went  to  them 
with  their  old  owners  to  take  back  their  lands,  they 
met  them  manfully  and  with  remarkable  dignity. 
They  wer^  ready  to  listen  to  reason  ;  if  they  pledged 
their  word,  they  would  stand  by  it. 

Colonel  Trowbridge  of  the  Thirty  Third  U.  S.  C.  T. 
took  this  occasion  to  bid  all  his  soldiers  farewell, 
as  they  were  so  soon  to  be  mustered  out.  These  im- 
pressible people  were  much  affected  by  the  kind 
words  of  their  old  commander.  When  he  ceased 
speaking,  this  immense  crowd  were  hushed  and  silent 
for  a  few  moments,  and  then  some  one  began  to  sing 
with  powerful  voice,  — 

''Blow  ye  the  trumpet,  blow! 
The  gladly  solemn  sound." 

Every  one  in  that  vast  assemblage  joined  in  the 

singing,  and  when  they  came  to  the  chorus, — 

''  The  year  of  jubilee  has  come, 
Return,  ye  ransomed  sinners,  home," 


206         FIRST   DAYS   WITH   THE  CONTRABANDS 

th&  words  rolled  out  with  tremendous  force  and  with 
magnetic  effect. 

The  soldiers  in  camp  always  caught  with  effusion 
every  poem  sent  them  that  had  a  ring  to  it,  and  set 
it  to  music.  Sometimes  they  improvised  or  originated 
the  air,  but  more  frequently  they  adapted  the  words 
to  some  popular  tune.  In  this  way  their  repertoire 
became  inexhaustible. 

When  the  exercises  were  over  and  the  soldiers 
were  about  to  disperse,  they  struck*  up  and  sang,  con 
amore^  Oliver  Wendell  Holmes's  poem,  which  was 
published  in  the  Boston  Transcript  Aug.  12,  1862. 
This  had  been  widely  circulated,  and  became  very 
popular. 

To  Canaan! 

A  SONG  OF  THE   SIX  HUNDRED   THOUSAND. 

Where  are  you  going,  soldiers, 

With  banner,  gun,  and  sword  ? 
We're  marching  South  to  Canaan, 

To  battle  for  the  Lord ! 
What  captain  leads  your  armies 

Along  the  rebel  coasts  ? 
The  mighty  One  of  Israel; 
/  His  name  is  Lord  of  Hosts ! 

To  Canaan,  to  Canaan, 
The  Lord  has  led  us  forth, 

To  blow  before  the  heathen  walls 
The  trumpets  of  the  North! 

What  flag  is  this  you  carry 
»  Along  the  sea  and  shore  ? 

The  same  our  grand  sires  lifted  up,  ^ 

The  same  our  fathers  bore! 


EMANCIPATION  JUBILEE  207 

In  many  a  battle's  tempest 

It  shed  the  crimson  rain ! 
What  God  has  woven  in  his  loom 

Let  no  man  rend  in  twain ! 

To  Canaan,  to  Canaan, 

The  Lord  has  led  us  forth, 
To  plant  upon  the  rebel  towers 

The  banners  of  the  North! 

What  troop  is  this  that  follows 

All  armed  with  picks  and  spades  ? 
These  are  the  swarthy  bondsmen, 

The  iron-skin  brigades ! 
They'll  pile  up  Freedom's  breastworks, 

They'll  scoop  out  rebels'  graves  : 
Who  then  will  be  their  owner, 

And  march  them  off  for  slaves  ? 

To  Canaan,  to  Canaan, 

The  Lord  has  led  us  forth. 
To  strike  upon  the  captive's  chain 

The  hammers  of  the  North ! 

What  song  is  this  you're  singing  ? 

The  same  that  Israel  sung 
When  Moses  led  the  mighty  choir, 

And  Miriam's  timbrel  rung! 
To  Canaan!  to  Canaan! 

The  priests  and  maidens  cried; 
To  Canaan !  to  Canaan ! 

The  people's  voice  replied. 

To  Canaan,  to  Canaan, 
The  Lord  has  led  us  forth. 

To  thunder  through  its  adder-dens 
The  anthems  of  the  North ! 

When  Canaan's  hosts  are  scattered, 

And  all  her  walls  lie  flat, 
What  follows  next  in  order  ? 

The  Lord  will  see  to  that!  ]  ^ 


208         FIRST   DAYS   WITH   THE   CONTRABANDS 

We'll  break  the  tyrant's  sceptre; 

We'll  build  the  people's  throne  — 
When  half  the  world  is  Freedom's, 

Then  all  the  world's  our  own! 

To  Canaan,  to  Canaan, 
The  Lord  has  led  us  forth, 

To  sweep  the  rebel  threshing-floors, 
A  whirlwind  from  the  North ! 

In  time  these  words  became  part  of — 

*^  I  am  bound  for  the  Land  of  Canaan." 


REFUGEES   RETUEN   HOME  209 


XVII 

BEFUGEES   RETURN   HOME 

Early  the  next  morning,  after  the  emancipation 
jubilee,  we  started  for  Beaufort  on  the  government 
steamer  St.  Helena.  This  was  a  small  boat  detailed 
for  use  by  the  Freedmen's  Bureau.  There  were  two 
hundred  and  seventy-five  colored  refugees  on  board, 
under  charge  of  Colonel  Ketchum,  returning  to  their 
old  homes  near  Savannah. 

The  rain  fell  steadily  all  day,  and  it  was  extremely 
cold  and  disagreeable.  The  poor  refugees  were  hud- 
dled together  between  decks  as  close  as  they  could 
stand.  There  was  not  room  for  the  sick  and  infirm 
to  sit  or  lie  down,  unless  the  more  hardy  gave  up 
their  places  and  stood  outside. 

All  these  people  had  belonged  to  four  brothers,  so 
they  were  really  one  family.  When  the  war  broke 
out  they  were  carried  to  a  plantation  near  Charleston. 
Now  they  were  eager  to  get  back  to  their  old  homes, 
on  the  places  where  they  were  born.  This  love  of 
home  is  universal  and  intense  amongst  the  negroes. 

I  never  knew  the  pathos  of  the  old  negro  melody:  — 

**  O  darkies,  how  my  heart  grows  w^eary, 
Far  from  the  old  folks  at  home." 


210         FIRST   DAYS  WITH  THE   CONTRABANDS 

I  learned  its  meaning  when  I  learned  to  know  the 
colored  refugees. 

Colonel  Ketchum,  who  had  these  people  in  charge, 
did  his  best  to  make  them  less  uncomfortable.  More 
he  could  not  do.  It  was  almost  impossible  to  move 
about  without  stepping  upon  some  one.  Mothers 
hugged  their  children  closely,  to  keep  them  from 
under  foot. 

How  miserable  they  looked !  My  heart  ached  for 
them  then,  and  does  now  as  I  think  of  them.  A  few 
had  blankets,  but  most  of  them  had  none,  and  were 
scantily  clothed.  The  heads  of  families  had  pro- 
visions,—  their  "grub,"  they  called  it, — tied  up 
in  "crocus"  bags,  or  in  handkerchiefs.  I  walked 
around  and  talked  with  many  of  them.  To  my 
question,  "How  do  you  do?"  they  invariably  replied, 
"Thank  God,  I  lives!"  "Us  is  so  as  to  be  moving 
about,  missis."     "Us  is  mending." 

"Aunty,  are  you  not  going  back  too  soon?"  I  said 
to  an  old  woman.  I  had  heard  that  these  people  had 
been  advised  to  stay  where  they  were  for  another 
year. 

"  Don'  know,  missis,"  she  calmly  replied. 

"  What  will  you  live  on  when  you  get  home  ?  " 

"  Oh,  I  'specs  there  will  be  something ;  de  people 
mus'  have  something  fur  eat." 

"  But  when  that  is  gone  what  will  you  do  ?  " 

"  O  missis,  the  good  God  will  tuck  care  o'  we. 
He  alluz  does." 

That  settled  it :  the  good  God  always  does  take 
care.  There  was  no  complaining  ;  not  a  murmur  nor 
a  querulous  tone  to  be  heard. 


REFUGEES   RETURN   HOME  211 

I  had  questioned  these  people  because  I  knew  that 
Colonel  Ketchum  and  others  of  the  Freedmen's  Bu- 
reau were  anxious  about  their  future.  They  wished 
to  keep  them  under  care  until  the  affairs  of  the 
country  became  more  settled  ;  but  their  leaders 
'^considered  upon  it,"  and  decided  they  would  "con- 
trac'  to  work  the  old  fields." 

The  rain  fell  in  torrents.  We  were  piloted  through 
the  inside,  or  what  was  jocosely  called  the  ''  overland 
route."  The  air  was  so  thick  we  could  not  see  across 
the  boat;  of  course  our  progress  was  very  slow. 
We  frequently  got  aground  on  the  sandbars,  and 
were  obliged  to  wait  for  high  tide  to  float  us  off. 

And  so  we  crept  along  during  the  day.  Night 
closed  in  early.  Just  before  dark  I  saw  some  men 
going  around  with  pans  of  bread  and  hominy,  which 
they  handed  in  small  bits  to  the  women  and  children. 

"  Us  is  scarce  for  grub,  an'  they  mus'  satisfy  wid  a 
little  bit  at  a  time,"  they  said.  "  Them  ain't  for 
trus,"  nodding  towards  the  children ;  ''  they  want  too 
much." 

Poor  creatures !  their  hungry  looks  haunted  me 
for  a  long  time. 

After  dark  I  heard  loud  singing  in  the  forward 
part  of  the  boat,  and  was  told  the  freedmen  were 
holding  praise-meeting.  Expressing  a  desire  to  lis- 
ten to  them,  the  young  officer  in  charge  kindly 
offered  to  pilot  me  around.  So  with  lantern  in  hand 
we  started  out. 

The  boat  was  literally  covered  with  these  poor 
destitute  creatures.     Colonel  Ketchum  had  distrib- 


212        FIKST  DAYS   WITH  THE   CONTRABAKDS 

uted  them  around  everywhere,  trying  to  make  their 
condition  more  endurable.  Some  were  crouched  in 
corners,  .and  others  leaning  against  the  railings, 
whilst  the  children  were  put  on  top  of  barrels  and 
boxes  and  coils  of  rope.  The  women  were  on  the 
floor  as  close  as  sardines  in  a  box  ;  all  were  settled 
for  the  night,  and  they  were  very  quiet.  There  was 
no  moving  nor  shuffling  about,  and  in  the  darkness 
it  was  hard  to  believe  there  was  such  a  dense  crowd 
of  human  beings  on  board.  We  could  with  difficulty 
make  our  way  amongst  them. 

On  one  side  we  saw  three  women  sitting  on  the 
floor  side  by  side,  with  their  feet  extended  and  a 
poor  sick  girl  lying  across  their  laps. 

"  Her  too  sick  to  lie  on  the  floor,*  an'  us  try  to  res' 
she,  poor  creetur,"  they  said  as  we  stopped  to  speak 
to  them. 

The  light  from  the  lantern  fell  on  the  sick  girl's 
face  ;  she  smiled,  and  whispered,  — 

''I  is  all  right,  thank  you,  ma'am." 

"  I  am  afraid  she  cannot  live  until  morning,"  said 
the  young  colonel  with  a  sigh  of  compassion. 

When  we  reached  the  "  praise-meeting  "  we  found 
as  many  of  the  old  people  assembled  together  as 
could  sit  or  stand.  They  were  outside,  and  so  un- 
sheltered, but  fortunately  it  no  longer  rained ;  the 
wind,  however,  blew  a  hurricane.  The  night  was 
very  dark,  and  the  people  had  no  light  excepting  the 
small  head-light  of  the  boat;  but  the  leaders  ''lined 
off  "  the  hymns,  which  were  sung  by  all,  and  repeated 
verses    from   the   Bible   from   memory.     Then   they 


HEFtJGEE^   RETTJRN   HOME  213 

offered  the  most  fervent  prayers,  filled  with  praise 
and  thanksgiving  for  "  the  bountiful  marcies  of  God," 
unmindful  of  all  the  hardships  thej^  had  endured  in 
the  past,  and  of  their  present  discomforts. 

"  Surely  the  Lord  will  bless  these  people  for  their 
implicit  faith  and  trust  in  Him,"  we  said  to  each 
other  as  we  left.  We  might  well  learn  a  lesson  from 
them  which  would  help  us  through  life. 

When  we  returned  to  the  cabin,  the  contrast  be- 
tween its  light  and  heat  and  what  we  had  just  seen, 
made  us  really  uncomfortable  for  a  time.  But  our 
own  accommodations  were  most  meagre.  In  the  ladies' 
cabin  were  six  empty  berths,  with  neither  mattress, 
blanket,  nor  pillow ;  however,  we  had  all  been  in 
the  ranks  long  enough  to  know  that  whatever  we 
needed  for  personal  comfort  we  must  supply  for  our- 
selves, whether  at  home  or  abroad;  we  were  there- 
fore provided,  but  there  were  others  of  our  party 
who  had  nothing.  Fortunately  the  quartermaster  in 
Charleston  had  "  turned  over "  to  us  a  bundle  of 
army  blankets  and  a  box  of  soldiers'  overcoats,  for 
the  poor  people  in  our  district.  We  distributed 
these  for  the  night  as  far  as  they  would  go.  All 
night  long  I  could  hear  the  poor  refugees  coughing, 
and  the  children  crying  and  moaning  in  their  uncom- 
fortable positions ;  but  we  heard  no  impatient  word 
or  sigh  of  complaint. 

We  went  out  to  carry  a  blanket  to  the  sick  girl, 
and  an  overcoat  to  a  very  old  man.  To  all  our 
questions  as  we  passed  along,  the  invariable  reply 
was,  — 


214        FIRST  DAYS   WITH   THE   CONTRABANDS 

"  Oh,  thank  God,  missis !  " 

The  next  morning  we  reached  Beaufort,  and  the 
refugees  were  able  to  go  on  shore.  The  storm  was 
over,  and  the  day  bright  and  clear,  but  the  air  was 
piercingly  cold. 

The  freedmen  were  very  glad  to  walk  about  and 
stretch  their  limbs,  or  sit  uncramped  in  the  broad  sun- 
shine. As  soon  as  they  got  on  shore,  they  brought 
out  their  rations,  corn-bread  and  hominy,  which  were 
tied  up  in  all  sorts  of  odd  bundles,  and  began  to 
eat  their  breakfast.  As  the  boat  was  ''  to  lie  over  " 
until  the  next  day,  to  be  cleaned  and  put  in  order, 
Mr.  Judd,  superintendent  of  the  island,  took  charge 
of  the  refugees,  and  made  them  as  comfortable  as 
circumstances  would  allow. 


STORM  AT   SEA  215 


XVIII 

STORM  AT   SEA 

Our  trip  to  Charleston  just  before  Christmas  had 
been  a  most  hazardous  time.  The  wind  blew  a  gale, 
and  the  night  was  very  dark.  Our  small  boat,  the 
Rockland,  sprang  a-leak,  and  was  tossed  about  all 
night  at  the  mercy  of  the  wind  and  waves.  The 
freight  was  thrown  overboard,  our  fires  were  out, 
and  for  a  time  there  seemed  to  be  no  hope  of  our 
ever  getting  ashore ;  but  as  soon  as  the  day  dawned, 
the  captain  succeeded  in  "  beaching  "  the  boat,  and 
we  lay  there  all  day,  tossed  about  until  another 
steamer  was  sent  to  hunt  us  up  and  take  us  off. 
We  were  nearly  famished  when  we  reached  Charles- 
ton, having  had  nothing  to  eat  for  twenty-four  hours. 
The  cold  was  extreme ;  we  had  no  place  for  rest. 

When  we  returned  to  school,  we  found  our  people 
had  heard  of  the  shipwreck,  and  that  we  were  lost, 
and  there  had  been  great  excitement  in  our  district. 
After  welcoming  us  back,  the  leaders  asked  if  we 
would  be  so  pleased  as  to  come  to  a  big  praise- 
meeting  they  wished  to  hold  in  the  schoolhouse 
the  following  Sunday.  It  w^as  indeed  a  big  meet- 
ing.    The  house  was  literally  packed.     They  made 


216         FIKST   DAYS   WITH  THE  CONTKABANDS 

it  a  religious  jubilee.  Their  prayers  were  devout 
thanksgiving  to  God  for  "  all  his  marcies  "  in  re- 
turning us  in  safety,  and  earnest  promises  to  do  their 
best  by  us.  "Stan'  fast  an'  you  shall  see;"  this  was 
the  gist  of  the  whole ;  expressed  as  it  was  in  their 
uncouth  phraseology,  it  was  certainly  unique. 

Miss  Lizzie,  who  had  never  been  to  one  of  these 
meetings  before,  was  greatly  entertained  by  the  ex- 
pressions of  a  stranger,  one  of  the  soldiers,  who 
made  quite  a  lengthy  address.  He  began  by  say- 
ing, — 

*'  I  can't  read.  My  heart  is  my  Bible.  I  can't  run  far  wid  you. 
I'm  a  stranger  to  you,  but  not  to  God.  You  mus'  use  all  de  mir- 
acles. Christ  say  you  nuis'  reflec'  on  the  days  of  Ninevy.  The 
lady  hab  a  hard  fight  to  git  here.  Go  an'  remant  about  it.  Let 
prayers  be  your  pocket-piece.  Charity,  as  de  lady  tells  you,  don' 
jes'  mean  'git  your  money  w'en  you  hab  him.'  It's  like  dis,  jes' 
so  you  meet  ole  lady  comin'  Bufort,  you  ax  ole  lady  ride  ;  ole  lady 
say,  ^  T'ank  you,'  or  dat  a  sort,  but  hab  great  t'anks  in  him  own 
heart.     Dat's  charity;  dat's  greater  dan  money." 

When  the  meeting  was  over  there  was  such  a  gen- 
eral shaking  of  hands,  one  of  the  young  ladies  de- 
clared her  arm  felt  like  a  pump-handle  nearly 
worked  off. 

"Misery  in  the  Head^  Ma  amy 

The  weather  continued  frightfully  cold,  and  there 
was  great  destitution  around  us. 

The  contrabands  continued  to  come  to  us  so  con- 
stantly on  Sundays  for  medicine,  we  decided  they 
must  regard  this  as  they  did  clothing,  something  to 
be  secured  against  time   of  need.     But  I  am  sure 


"MISERY   IN   THE    HEAD,    MA'AM  "  217 

they  came  as  much  for  a  little  chat,  — "  advice " 
they  called  it,  —  as  for  anything  else. 

This  first  Sunday  a  woman  brought  her  baby, 
who  was  very  ill.  The  poor  mother  looked  really 
anxious,  but  was  quiet  and  phlegmatic.  I  asked 
what  was  the  matter  with  the  baby. 

''  Can't  say,  ma'am." 

"Has  she  a  cold?" 

"  I  'specs  so,  for  him  breathe  bad." 

I  looked  at  the  poor  little  creature,  who  seemed 
to  me  hopelessly  ill.  "I  am  afraid  your  baby  is 
in  a  very  bad  way,"  I  said.  To  which  she  calmly 
replied,  — 

"  I  'specs  so,  missis." 

"  What  have  you  done  for  her?  " 

"  I  ain't  done  nothing,  missis.  I  ain't  had  nothing 
for  give." 

On  all  such  occasions  I  was  greatly  puzzled  to 
know  what  to  do  or  say,  for  I  was  as  ignorant 
as  the  poor  mother  herself.  I  tried  to  make  her 
understand  how  important  warmth  and  cleanliness 
were  for  her  child.  I  gave  her  nourishment  for  the 
baby  and  food  for  herself,  and  she  left  quite  cheered 
up.  The  next  day  her  little  girl  came  to  me,  and, 
making  a  courtesy,  said,  "  Titty  say  t'ank  you 
ma'am,  baby  is  died." 

I  did  not  know  why  she  thanked  me.  Whether 
for  what  I  had  tried  to  do,  or  in  answer  to  my  ex- 
pected inquiry  about  the  little  one. 

This  woman  was  one  who  had  "  half  a  husband," 
having  been  for  a  long   time  the  wife  of    Pompey, 


218        FIRST   DAYS    WITH   THE   CONTRABANDS 

whose  first  wife  was  carried  off  up  country  ''  in  old 
secesh  times."  But  during  the  war,  wife  number  one 
returned  to  the  old  quarters.  Pompey  immediately 
left  woman  number  two  to  take  care  of  herself  and 
two  children,  and  returned  to  the  woman  who  was 
his  first  choice. 

There  were  a  great  many  such  cases,  which  neither 
moral  nor  civil  law  could  adjust. 

About  this  time  small-pox  broke  out  in  our  neigh- 
borhood, and  made  sad  work.  Black  Sally  was  tell- 
ing the  young  ladies  about  this  one  day,  when  she 
exclaimed,  ''Look  out.  Miss  Lizzie,  small -pox  very 
love  fat  folks,"  as  if  this  was  a  most  cheerful  sub- 
ject. 

The  patience- of  the  freed  people  in  sickness  was 
so  general  and  remarkable,  it  seemed  like  apathy. 

One  day  I  went  to  see  Violet,  a  refugee  from 
Georgia,  who  was  very  ill.  Her  door  was  closed, 
but  a  neighbor  who  was  on  guard  inserted  a  stick 
in  a  crack  in  the  door,  and  so  lifted  the  latch. 

"  Eleven  weeks  I  have  been  in  bed,"  said  the  sick 
woman,  ''  but  I  have  made  up  my  mind  to  leave  all 
with  God.  He  will  not  put  more  on  me  than  I  can 
bear." 

I  looked  at  her  in  astonishment,  and  wondered  if 
I  could  learn  such  patience  and  submission  under  all 
trials.  Her  room  was  scrupulously  neat,  and  in  good 
order.  She  had  formerly  been  house-servant,  and  be- 
longed to  kind  owners. 

Old  Richard  lived  at  the  negro  quarters.  He  was 
ill,  and  at  times  a  great  sufferer.  But  when  talking 
with  me  he  always  ended  with,  — 


PREPARING   FOR   WORK  219 

''  Thank  God,  ma'am !  it  is  all  done  now.  I  have 
laid  myself  in  the  hands  of  the  Big  Massa,  an'  he 
will  take  me  up  an'  put  me  down  as  he  fin's  for  my 
good,  an'  I  can  only  bless  his  name." 

Richa'rd  was  quite  a  remarkable  man,  with  but  few 
of  the  peculiar  characteristics  of  his  race.  He  had 
had  some  exceedingly  hard  experiences,  but  when  we 
spoke  of  them  he  always  ended  with,  — 

"  Thank  God !   it's  all  done,  now." 

Preparing  for   Work. 

At  the  beginning  of  the  year  the  contrabands  in  our 
district  were  eager  to  renew  their  contracts  with  the 
same  superintendent  who  had  been  with  them  the 
last  year.  In  January  they  began  to  gather  sedge 
and  marsh-mud  to  fertilize  their  fields.  This  work 
greatly  interrupted  their  attendance  at  school.  But 
all,  even  the  oldest,  clung  to  their  books,  and  were 
unwilling  to  be  dropped  out. 

They  regarded  the  enrollment  as  a  title  of  honor, 
and  to  be  scratched  off  the  list  a  dishonor. 

''Let  Them  starve  and  die.^^ 

One  day  a  stranger  came  to  see  us,  who  was  intro- 
duced as  the  new  superintendent  for  the  whole  island. 
He  told  us  a  bill  had  just  been  passed  in  Congress  to 
give  to  the  freed  people  on  Edisto  Island  the  use  of 
all  the  land  there  for  three  years ;  also  that  three 
million  acres  of  land  were  to  be  set  apart  and  given 
them. 

We  felt  this  was  good  news,  if  true,  and  if  the 


220         FIRST   DAYS   WITH  THE  CONTRABANDS 

''act,"  or  bill,  would  hold;  but  we  were  distrustful 
after  so  many  disappointments. 

The  new  officer  was  indifferent  to  the  welfare  of 
the  people  under  his  charge.  Like  some  other  gov- 
ernment officers,  he  spoke  of  the  freed  people  as  if 
they  were  a  herd  of  cattle. 

I  find  recorded,  March  4,  1866,  "If  we  had  the 
right  kind  of  superintendents,  there  would  be  no 
trouble  with  the  colored  people.  As  it  is,  more  is 
done  to  unsettle  and  dishearten  them  than  to  help 
them  on.  They  need  to  be  advised  and  encouraged, 
instead  of  which,  they  are  ordered  about  and  cheated." 

A  great  many  speculators  were  flocking  into  the 
department,  to  buy  and  lease  the  old  plantations. 
The  contrabands  were  ready  to  do  anything  for  their 
friends  in  whom  they  had  faith,  but  they  were  sus- 
picious of  strangers.  They  were  not  idle  or  lazy. 
On  the  contrary,  they  seemed  to  have  a  passion  for 
work.  But  they  knew  nothing  of  order,  or  system, 
or  economy  of  time.  So  nine-tenths  of  their  labor 
went  for  nothing.  In  this  particular  they  needed  so 
much  help,  and  got  so  little.  They  wanted  a  clear, 
judicious  head  to  plan  for  them.  Very  few  of  the 
planters  or  teachers  would  see  this,  or  take  the 
trouble. 

"  Him  ainH  much  on  de  Needle.''^ 

Most  of  the  woman  around  us  had  always  been 
field-hands,  and  they  knew  nothing  of  any  other 
kind  of  work. 

One  of  the  old  men  came  to  me  to  signify  his  ap- 


"HIM   ain't   much   ok  DE   NEEDLE  "  221 

probation  of  his  wife^s  learning  to  sew.  He  apolo- 
gized for  her  deficiency  by  saying,  "  Him  ain't  much 
on  de  needle,  but  him's  great  on  de  hoe." 

A  woman  who  came  to  school  did  not  know  what 
a  book  was  for,  nor  how  to  hold  it.  She  looked  as  if 
she  thought  learning  was  something  we  could  drop 
into  her  hands,  and  she  gazed  with  great  curiosity  at 
the  book  when  given  to  her,  turning  it  cautiously 
round  and  round  in  her  hand.  Finally,  she  fixed  her 
eyes  steadily  upon  it,  as  she  saw  the  children  doing. 
The  next  time  I  passed  her  I  found  her  closely  scan- 
ning the  page  with  her  book  upside  down.  She  was 
greatly  amused  when  I  turned  it  and  set  her  right. 
After  this  she  got  on  bravely.  She  told  me  she  sat 
up  half  the  night  ''to  catch  her  lesson."  Her  hus- 
band came  and  thanked  me  for  my  help  to  his  wife, 
saying  he  was  "  quite  willing  to  give  her  a  chance  to 
get  a  little  school  larning."  He  spoke  of  her  as  if  she 
were  his  slave.  A  manner  most  of  the  colored  men 
had. 

When  we  drove  past  the  negro  houses,  the  men  and 
women  often  came  out  with  their  books  and  begged 
us  to  give  them  lessons  in  reading,  which  we  did,  sit- 
ting in  the  wagon.  They  had  profound  respect  for 
education,  and  felt  that  if  they  could  read  they  would 
come  nearer  to  the  white  race,  and  could  better  com- 
pete with  them ;  all  of  which  was  true. 

One  night  in  June  we  had  a  cyclone,  which  blew 
down  our  schoolhouse  and  twisted  off  the  tops  of 
some  magnificent  live-oaks,  so  they  hung  by  fibres, 
like  wisps  of  straw.  A  most  intelligent  schoolboy 
came  to  tell  us  of  this  disaster. 


222         FIRST   DAYS   WITH   THE   CONTRABANDS 

"  Dem  folks  coming  from  the  fields  say  we  school- 
house  is  done  bio  wed  down !  "  he  exclaimed. 

"  O  Tom !  Tom  !  You  forget  your  grammar," 
said  one  of  the  3^oung  ladies. 

"  That's  so,  Miss  Fannie.  Yur  must  really  excuse 
me  this  time ;  I  done  forget,"  he  replied,  bowing  and 
chuckling. 

This  reminds  me  of  a  little  girl  in  the  Frogmore 
School  who  was  trying  to  parse  sister.  She  was 
greatly  puzzled  about  the  gender  for  a  time,  then  she 
exclaimed  in  triumph,  waving  her  hands,  — 

"  Him's  feminine.  Miss  Ellen  !     Him's  a  gal !  " 

Poor  and  plain  as  our  schoolhouse  was,  it  was  all 
we  had.  When  we  saw  it  lying  in  ruins,  we  real- 
ized how  important  a  part  of  our  lives  its  poor  walls 
had  become,  and  how  impossible  to  do  without  them. 
We  literally  sat  down  to  weep  over  these  ruins. 

This  cyclone  did  great  damage  all  over  the  island. 
At  ''  Quartermaster's  Village,"  a  negro  settlement, 
the  houses  were  overturned  as  if  made  of  paper,  and 
several  persons  were  killed  and  wounded. 

The  Midnight  Funeral. 

A  young  colored  sergeant  just  returned  from  the 
army  died,  and  was  buried  at  midnight.  He  had 
lived  at  the  negro  quarters,  not  far  from  us.  He  died 
a  little  after  dark.  His  friends  immediately  assem- 
bled and  held  a  watch-meeting,  which  they  call  "  a 
setting-up."  All  night  long  we  could  hear  their  sol- 
emn chanting  and  clapping  of  hands,  as  they  beat  the 
time.      They  had  a  praise-meeting  before  the  house, 


FIRST   EXAMINATION  223 

as  they  believe  the  spirit  remains  with  the  body 
until  daylight,  when  it  takes  leave  and  goes  home  to 
the  heavenly  Father  as  the  morning  stars  go  out. 

The  comrades  of  the  young  sergeant  wished  to 
bury  him  with  military  honors,  so  they  waited  until 
the  next  night  at  midnight.  They  had  a  long  pro- 
cession, with  torches  and  a  muffled  drum.  Then  al). 
the  women  and  children  straggled  along,  singing  their 
spirituals.  It  was  a  sombre  sight  as  this  sable  pro- 
cession wound  around  through  the  grove.  As  the 
tones  of  their  spirituals  reverberated  through  the 
arches  of  this  ''  God's  first  temple,"  I  was  reminded 
of  the  Pilgrim's  March  in  Tannhauser. 

The  freed  people  had  many  quaint  expressions.  At 
one  of  the  festivals  the  women  were  delighted  with 
the  display  of  Christmas  gifts.  One  exclaimed,  ''I 
should  like  to  keep  this  in  my  eyes  forever." 

A  girl  brought  a  letter  from  her  brother  for  us  to 
read  to  her.  They  had  just  lost  their  mother.  He 
wrote,  ''  I  hope  my  mother  is  gone  to  heben,  becoze 
it  is  a  better  place  for  she  to  live,  an'  never  die  no 
more." 

First  Examination. 

This  first  examination  was  an  event  in  the  neigh- 
borhood. Old  men  and  women  came  early,  to  see 
and  hear  what  was  being  done  :  —  the  man  usually 
with  the  wreck  of  a  huge  umbrella  under  his  arm,  and 
the  woman  with  spotless  kerchief  carefully  folded 
and  tied  around  her  head. 

One  of  the  boys  wrote  pait  of  an  example  given 


224         FIRST  DAYS    WITH   THE   CONTRABANDS 

him,  then  became  confused,  and,  scratching  his  head 
as  he  puzzled  over  it,  exclaimed, — 

"  Oh,  talk  him  over.  Miss  Fannie  !  Talk  him  over," 
wishing  to  have  the  question  repeated. 

The  copy-books  were  handed  around  for  inspec- 
tion. One  woman  having  her  child's  book  given  her, 
showed  it  with  great  pride  to  those  sitting  near,  de- 
claring she  was  "  proud  for  mad,"  and  "  glad  for  mad," 
that  her  child  ''could  larn  for  write  like  that." 
Looking  over  her  shoulder  I  saw  she  was  showing  the 
book  "  bottom  side  up."  I  turned  it  for  her,  when 
she  said  apologetically,  — 

''  Dem  chillen  know  a  heap  more'na  me.  When 
they  come  home  they  talk  so  smart,  I  ain't  know 
what  they  say,  but  I  is  proud  all  the  same." 

This  woman  voiced  the  feelings  of  all  the  others. 
It  is  needless  to  say  her  children  went  on  and  up. 
Before  they  got  beyond  her  ken  she  was  called  to  a 
higher  sphere. 

We  liad  many  and  far  more  important  examinations 
and  exhibitions  as  the  years  went  on,  but  none  so 
full  of  interest  as  this  first  one. 


HARD   TIMES  225 


XIX 

HARD  TIMES 

Ik  the  winter  of  1865  all  the  freed  people  in  our 
district  were  working  with  a  will.  But  we  could  not 
forget  that  only  two  years  before  this  most  of  these 
people  were  in  slavery  ''  on  the  main."  They  came 
off  destitute  of  everything.  The  superintendents  were 
obliged  to  advance  provisions  to  them  before  they 
could  begin  to  work.  The  superintendent  of  our  dis- 
trict bought  provisions  at  as  low  price  as  possible,  and 
furnished  them  to  the  negroes  at  cost.  But  on  a 
neighboring  plantation  the  manager  kept  a  store,  from 
which  he  paid  his  hands,  charging  extravagant 
prices.  So  in  the  end  the  people  were  always  in  debt 
to  him,  and  had  nothing  to  begin  the  new  year  with. 
They  had  no  clothing,  and  no  money  to  buy  any. 
The  quartermaster's  clerk  in  Charleston  sent  us  a 
box  with  one  hundred  and  fifty  new  garments  for 
men,  women,  and  children ;  but  we  were  able  to  give 
only  one  garment  apiece,  and  had  not  enough  to  go 
around.  The  report  was  constantly  circulated  that 
under  the  most  favorable  circumstances  the  colored 
people  would  never  be  able  to  take  care  of  themselves. 

True,  the  freed  people  had  never  practised  care  and 


226        FIRST  DAYS   WITH  THE   CONTRABANDS 

economy  of  material.  How  could  they,  when  they 
had  never  owned  anything  to  care  for?  Like  all 
ignorant  and  neglected  poor,  they  were  careless  and 
improvident  to  the  last  degree. 

The  year  the  war  closed  the  freed  people  in  our 
district  realized  three  thousand  dollars  from  the  sale 
of  their  cotton.  Besides,  they  made  good  crops  of 
corn  and  other  provisions.  This  encouraged  them  so 
much,  they  decided  to  plant  more  cotton  and  less  corn 
the  next  year.  Then  prices  went  down,  and  the  yield 
of  cotton  was  light,  so  they  got  only  between  three 
and  four  hundred  dollars  in  money  ;  and  bef6re  the 
beginning  of  the  working  season  all  were  out  of  pro- 
visions. They  were  obliged  to  pay  three  dollars  a 
bushel  for  corn,  and  for  other  necessaries  accordingly. 
Of  course  they  got  in  debt  before  the  w^orking  season 
began.  They  were  compelled  to  give  a  lien  upon  the 
crops  they  raised,  or  equivalent  to  a  mortgage  upon 
their  year's  labor. 

On  some  of  the  islands  near  us  the  freed  people 
hired  and  bought  land,  and  worked  independent  of 
any  white  superintendent.  Some  of  the  finest  cotton 
in  market  was  made  by  these  people. 

The  negroes  on  the  mainland  had  desperate  times. 
They  lived  on  roots  and  the  acorns  from  the  woods. 
These  were  the  old  refugees  who  had  been  under  our 
care  and  had  returned  to  their  former  homes.  It  was 
trying  to  see  these  people  working  so  hard,  with  such 
poor  results,  whilst  we  were  powerless  to  save  them 
from  sharpers. 

The  contrabands  around  us  were  docile  and  simple- 


officers'  inspection  227 

hearted.  The  superintendent  started  a  small  store 
to  sell  hominy  and  meat  and  other  provisions.  We 
called  this  "  the  people's  store,"  for  the  old  men  were 
always  called  upon  to  help,  and  were  very  proud  of 
this  office. 

A  woman  whom  I  knew,  came  from  another  plan- 
tation to  tell  me  how  things  were  going  there.  The 
superintendent  had  refused  to  advance  more  provis- 
ions.    At  the  end  she  said,  — 

"  Well,  ef  it  mus'  be  so,  some  o'  them  peoples  mus' 
dead  from  hunger,  sure."  This  was  in  the  blackberry 
season.  All  the  people  had  gone  to  town  to  sell  ber- 
ries to  buy  provisions. 

"1  tell  Joe  to  hurry  right  back,"  she  continued, 
"so  my  mother  could  have  something  to  eat.  I  don't 
see  what  the  people  can  do.  They  is  punish  too  bad." 
To  this  we  heartily  agreed ;  they  were  punished  too 
bad. 

Officers^  Inspection. 

A  large  party  of  government  officials  came  to  see 
us.  We  were  told  they  wished  for  information  about 
the  freedmen;  but  instead  of  asking  questions,  they 
gave  us  their  preconceived  opinions.  One  of  the  offi- 
cers was  making  a  tour  of  inspection  from  Washing- 
ton to  Texas,  and  the  assistant  commissioner  for  South 
Carolina  was  showing  his  department.  I  find  this 
in  my  note-book  of  that  date  :  — 

**  They  profess  to  be  acting  for  the  Freedmen's  Bureau,  but 
manifest  no  interest  in  the  freed  people,  nor  in  what  is  done  or  left 
undone  for  them.     They  came  with  fixed  opinions,  and  do  not 


228         FIRST   DAYS    WITH   THE   COiSTTRABANDS 

wish  to  hear  nor  see  anything  to  change  these  opinions.     We  de- 
cide they  are  for  the  President,  against  the  Bureau.'' 

1867. 

These  were,  indeed,  trying  days  for  the  poor  con- 
trabands. So  many  of  the  planters  had  failed  to  keep 
their  contracts  with  them  for  the  last  year,  that  now 
they  had  nothing  to  show  for  their  labor,  and  they 
were  quite  destitute.  Most  of  the  white  planters  had 
become  discouraged  by  the  low  price  of  cotton,  so  the 
negroes  were  obliged  to  work  their  small  ten-acre  lots. 
All  the  men  and  women  worked  famously,  beginning 
early  to  list  and  prepare  the  ground  for  planting. 
They  were  industrious,  and  tried  hard  to  take  care  of 
themselves.  When  they  failed,  it  was  through  igno- 
rance. Many  of  the  white  men  had  become  discour- 
aged and  given  up  planting,  and  the  freedmen  had 
neither  money  nor  provisions.  The  work  of  recon- 
struction was  slow  and  tedious.  We  might  as  well 
expect  a  new-born  infant  to  become  a  man  in  four 
years  as  that  this  race,  newly  born  to  freedom,  should 
become  self-supporting  and  self-protecting  at  once. 

When  the  working  season  came  on,  the  men  and 
women  could  only  come  to  the  school  part  of  the 
time ;  they  must  "  slack  off  a  little,"  they  said.  So 
some  came  the  first  half  of  the  day,  and  the  others 
the  last.  It  was  gratifying  to  see  the  marked  improve- 
ment in  the  cleanliness  and  general  appearance  of 
the  children.  They  kept  their  clean  aprons,  etc., 
by  them  in  the  field  ready  to  put  on  when  they  came 
to  school. 


im  229 

We  gave  out  new  trousers  and  jackets  to  some 
very  little  boys.  A  few  days  after  we  dismissed 
them,  and  told  them  to  run  home,  as  it  was  beginning 
to  rain. 

''  But  I  must  take  off  my  jacket  first,"  said  one  lit- 
tle fellow  not  more  than  four  years  old.  Thereupon 
all  took  off  their  jackets  and  rolled  them  up  and  put 
them  under  their  arms,  marching  off  unmindful  of 
the  rain  and  our  remonstrances.  It  was  difficult  to 
draw  the  line  for  them  between  too  much  and  too  lit- 
tle care. 

The  freed  people  began  to  settle  upon  their  own 
ten-acre  lots,  but  only  a  few  were  able  to  build  houses ; 
the  rest  lived  in  mud-huts,  and  in  any  way  by  which 
they  could  construct  a  shelter. 

The  returned  soldiers  were  trying  to  secure  their 
back  pay  and  bounties,  and  we  struggled  in  vain  to 
help  them. 

Those  days  of  reconstruction  were  times  of  constant 
delays  and  vain  expectations  and  disappointments. 

Just  at  this  crisis  our  letters  stopped  coming  to  us. 
We  were  told  the  steamers  between  Charleston  and 
Savannah  had  brought  the  mail  only  as  an  accommo- 
dation. The  proprietors  had  decided  to  do  this  no 
longer,  and  were  waiting  for  some  regular  arrange- 
ments to  be  made.  Of  course  we  imagined  the  office 
in  Charleston  was  ''  slopping  over  "  with  letters,  and 
that  most  important  events  were  waiting  to  be  re- 
vealed to  us. 

It  was  reported  the  express  agent  was  to  start  off 
loaded  with  mail  matter  from  our  benighted  region. 


230         FIRST  DAYS   WITH  THE   CONTRABANDS 

We  wrote  our  friends  not  to  be  alarmed  if  they  heard 
nothing  more  from  us  at  present ;  they  would  know 
we  were  waiting  to  be  reconstructed,  and  to  pray  with 
us,  "  God  speed  the  right." 

When  drum-fish  came  it  seemed  a  signal  for  a  gen- 
eral holiday.  All  the  men  and  older  boys  must  have 
at  least  one  day  of  sport  in  fishing.  So  the  smaller 
children  were  kept  at  home  to  ''mind  fowls"  and 
''mind  birds;"  that  is,  scare  the  crows  from  the  corn. 

Now  the  freedmen  began  to  interest  themselves  in 
politics,  feeling  for  the  first  time  that  they  had  a  part 
in  public  affairs.  I  must  confess,  "carpet-baggers" 
sprang  up  in  this  vicinity  like  caterpillars  over  the 
growing  cotton-fields.  The  poor  contrabands  might 
well  exclaim,  "  Save  me  from  my  friends,  and  I  will 
take  care  of  the  enemy  !  " 

April  15,  1867,  there  was  a  large  "  ratification " 
meeting  in  Beaufort,  S.C.  A  colored  Republican 
club  was  inaugurated,  the  first  ever  formed.  The 
freed  people  seemed  to  be  equal  to  the  demands  made 
upon  them,  and  readily  to  assimilate  with  their  new 
conditions.  There  was  no  doubt  the  world  was 
moving. 

About  this  time  Rev.  Mr.  Elliot,  an  Episcopal 
clergyman,  son  of  a  distinguished  rebel  officer,  deliv- 
ered a  lecture  intended  to  unite  the  tv/o  factions. 
Northerners  and  Southerners.  There  was  a  crowded 
house,  with  about  an  equal  number  from  each  sec- 
tion. This  was  really  the  first  attempt  at  coalition. 
People  around  us  began  to  say  the  Southerners  were 
ready  to  let  "bygones  be  bygones."     How  was  it  with 


1867  23r 

us  ?  Many  of  the  old  residents  had  returned  to  the 
town,  despoiled  of  everything  they  had  once  pos- 
sessed. A  few  were  able  to  get  back  their  old 
homes,  but  others  went  into  small  dwellings  and 
hired  houses.  Their  property  had  been  confiscated, 
and  their  possessions  scattered.  They  had  neither 
houses  nor  furniture  nor  servants.  Many  ladies  most 
delicately  reared  were  obliged  to  take  up  menial  ser- 
vice. With  all  our  hearts  we  pitied  them  and  de- 
plored their  misfortunes. 

The  Southern  ladies  were  true  to  their  antecedents. 
They  bravely  took  up  their  duties  without  complaint, 
and  never  asked  for  help.  But  a  large  class  of 
women  living  at  the  South  constantly  bemoaned  their 
condition.  They  asked  for  sympathy  and  aid,  whilst 
despising  the  hand  that  helped  them.  The  term 
"  Yankee"  was  to  them  the  synonyme  for  all  that  was 
base  and  mean. 

''  Do  you  charge  as  much  for  French  lessons  as  for 
music?  "  said  a  lady  to  a  Southerner  who  was  seeking 
employment. 

''  Oh,  yes ;  I  find  I  am  obliged  to  do  like  all  you 
Yankee  women,  earn  my  own  living,  and  make  all 
the  money  I  can,"  she  replied,  with  a  toss  of  her  head. 
To  which  her  hostess  answered  she  hoped  she  would 
feel  as  did  the  best  of  the  Northern  women,  that  labor 
was  no  disgrace,  but  an  honor  when  well  done. 

A  Southern  woman,  one  of  the  '•'-  poor  whites," 
called  upon  a  Northerner  one  day,  and  begged  for 
sewing.  She  told  a  pitiful  tale  of  distress  and  hard 
times,  saying  it  had  not  always  been  so  with  her.     I 


232         FIRST   DAYS   WITH   THE   CONTRABANDS 

have  noticed  it  is  this  class  of  people,  those  who  had 
not  much  to  lose,  who  complain  most  of  loss  of  fortune 
and  estate. 

The  lady  told  her  to  come  the  next  day  and  she 
would  find  something  for  her  to  do.  So  at  the 
appointed  time  she  gave  into  her  own  hands  a  full 
dress  pattern,  and  the  woman  went  away  very  happy. 
A  short  time  after  this  a  small  colored  girl  came  to 
the  lady  and  said,  ''  Missis  wants  you  to  ^end  three 
yards  more  of  cloth  to  finish  your  gown."  The  lady 
was  greatly  surprised,  but  said  she  would  call  and  see 
her  mistress. 

When  she  arrived  she  found  the  woman  in  a 
towering  rage.     She  burst  out  at  once,  — 

"  Did  you  bring  the  cloth  ?  If  I  had  it,  what  do 
you  think  has  become  of  it?  " 

The  lady  mildly  replied  that  was  what  she  came  to 
see  about. 

'^  Yes,"  said  the  woman  with  a  sneer,  ''none  but  a 
nigger  or  a  mean  Yankee  would  ever  ask  what  became 
of  a  piece  of  cloth.  You  must  know  that  nine  yards 
won't  make  a  dress,  for  I  don't  doubt  you  were  a 
dressmaker  at  home."  This  she  doubtless  considered 
the  sharpest  cut  of  all.  But  her  sarcasm  fell  short  of 
the  mark.  My  Northern  friend  was  surprised  and 
repelled,  but  by  no  means  angry. 

We  were  soon  able  to  discriminate  between  the  old 
residents,  for  we  saw  that  the  "  old  aristocracy  "  were 
quiet  and  reserved,  saying  but  little  of  the  past  or  the 
present.  The  ladies  lived  in  great  seclusion,  but 
when  brought  face  to  face  with  strangers  always 
showed  themselves  courteous  and  refined. 


1867  233 

It  was  curious  and  interesting  to  watch  the  changes 
going  on  around  us  on  all  sides.  Our  colored  cook, 
who  was  a  very  shrewd  woman,  referring  to  the 
Southerners,  said,  — 

''  You  jes'  let  'em  'lone,  ma'am.  Yur  never  know 
which  way  a  cat  is  going  to  jump." 


234         FIRST   DAYS   WITH   THE   CONTKABANDS 


XX 

WITH   THE   FREEDMEN 

No  longer  Contrabands. 

In  the  meantime,  the  freedmen  were  struggling 
along  as  best  they  could.  The  children  tried  to  sell 
blackberries,  but  this  fruit  was  so  abundant  that  nobody 
wanted  to  buy.  The  highest  price  was  three  cents 
for  two  quarts,  and  the  children  walked  five  or  six 
miles  to  get  this.  We  could  di'aw  government  ra- 
tions, —  a  little  corn  and  pork  for  the  oldest  and  most 
helpless  of  the  people ;  but  we  were  obliged  to  give 
provisions  —  meat,  flour,  salt,  hominy,  and  soap  —  to  a 
large  number  of  field-hands.  Our  Northern  friends 
sent  us  funds  to  enable  us  to  do  this,  always  trying 
to  strengthen  our  hands. 

The  women  were  desirous  to  keep  their  children  in 
school,  but  they  needed  their  help  at  home.  So  they 
came  to  beg  us  to  give  them  their  "  lessons  quick," 
and  send  them  back  ;  "  for  the  grass  shines  mightily  in 
the  cotton,"  said  one  woman. 

We  were  obliged  to  give  up  one  of  our  teachers  in 
the  spring,  and  we  had  to  reduce  the  number  of 
scholars  in  attendance.  No  one  wished  to  be  dropped 
out.     They   made    most  touching   appeals   to   Miss 


WITH   THE   FUEEDMEN  236 

Fannie,  who  kept  the  record,  not  to  scratch  off  their 
name^. 

"  Just  me  one,  you  know.  Miss  Fannie,"  they  would 
plead. 

In  giving  out  clothing,  we  were  obliged  to  be 
careful  not  to  arouse  discontent,  where  so  much  was 
needed.  Cleanliness  must  be  rewarded;  but  the 
untidiness  of  the  children  was  the  fault  of  the  par- 
ents ;  and  in  most  cases  we  knew  the  mothers  could 
do  no  better.  They  were  always  working  away  from 
home,  and  the  children  were  left  to  care  for  them- 
selves. 

In  the  autumn  steam  cotton-gins  had  been  started 
in  the  town  and  on  remote  plantations.  Two  or 
three  hundred  women  were  employed  in  the  cotton- 
barns.  They  "  sorted  "  and  "  molted  "  the  cotton, 
worked  it  through  the  gin,  sifted  the  seed,  and  helped 
to  pack  and  sew  the  bags.  Whilst  this  interrupted 
our  school  work,  we  were  gratified  when  told  by  the 
proprietors  that  we  had  the  most  reliable  class  of 
women,  and  the  best  workers  of  any  to  be  found. 
They  always  sent  to  our  district  when  help  was 
needed. 

Many  mothers  started  long  before  daylight,  and 
walked  four  or  five  miles  to  town.  Sometimes  they 
took  their  rations  for  breakfast  and  dinner  with 
them,  and  sometimes  those  were  brought  later  by  the 
children.  They  worked  from  daylight  till  dark,  and 
then  walked  home  after  dark.  For  this  they  received 
forty  and  fifty  cents  a  day,  and  fed  themselves.  The 
cotton-dealers  felt  they  could  not  afford  to  give  more 


236         FIRST  DAYS    WITH   THE   CONTRABANDS 

in  these  unsettled  times.  This  little  was  a  great  help 
to  the  poor  freed  people,  who  had  not  received,  a  cent 
of  money  for  their  year's  labor.  Planters  did  not 
sell  their  crops  until  very  late,  and  could  not  pay 
until  this  was  done. 

We  were  sure  that  a  lazy  or  bad  ^oman  would  not 
walk  ten  miles  a  day  to  earn  half  a  dollar  to  buy 
bread  for  her  family.  If  she  did  not  keep  them  tidy 
as  we  wished,  we  had  no  heart  to  complain.  We  felt 
that  the  condition  of  these  people,  and  the  restrictions 
on  labor,  were  but  little  understood.  We  were  con- 
vinced that  plenty  to  eat  would  harmonize  and  Chris- 
tianize them  faster  than  hymns  and  sermons  ;  and  that 
needles  and  thread  and  soap  and  decent  clothing  were 
the  best  educators,  and  would  civilize  sooner  than 
book  knowledge. 

The  colored  women  seemed  to  delight  more  in  an 
old  garment  than  a  new  one.  They  felt  at  liberty  to 
cut  and  alter  and  patch  it  ad  libitum;  besides  it 
gave  them  excuse  for  asking  for  "  one  needle  and  a 
leetle  bit  o'  thread,"  which  they  always  got. 

At  one  time  we  had  thirty  new  plaid  worsted 
dresses  all  cut  and  basted  sent  us  for  the  seAving- 
school.  The  girls  were  delighted ;  but  when  they 
carried  them  home,  the  mothers  considered  them  alto- 
gether too  short.  It  was  highly  indecorous  to  have 
the  feet  and  ankles  show  below  the  dress ;  so  they 
pieced  them  out,  often  with  most  unsuitable  material, 
putting  old  cloth  with  the  new,  and  a  cotton  frill  to 
a  worsted  skirt.  One  woman  got  new  cloth,  which 
she  inlaid  to  widen  and  lengthen  and  enlarge  her 


WITH  THE   FREEDMEN  2C7 

child's  gown.     It  looked,  when  done,  like  a  modern 
''crazy  quilt."     It  was  very  odd,  but  really  not  ugly. 

For  a  time  very  many  little  children  died.  It  was 
not  possible  to  see  they  had  the  care  given  to  the 
young  in  better  conditions.  From  this  the  assertion 
arose  that  '•'  the  colored  people  were  fast  dying  out." 

April  1,  1867,  government  rations  began  to  be  dis- 
tributed in  our  district,  but  these  were  limited  to  a 
very  few  persons ;  only  aged  people  too  infirm  to 
work,  and  invalids  who  had  no  relations,  and  mother- 
less children,  were  to  be  rationed.  Each  grown  per- 
son received  seven  pounds  of  hominy  and  one  and 
three-quarters  pounds  of  bacon  a  week.  Children 
were  to  draw  half  this  amount.  All  else,  soap,  salt, 
sugar,  flour,  and  molasses,  and  sometimes  rice  and 
candles,  were  furnished  by  us. 

We  could  not  say  of  these  people  they  had  no 
family  ;  the  poorest  were  blessed  with  relatives.  We 
could  only  repeat  what  was  often  said  to  us,  "  none 
of  any  account."  So  we  were  forced  to  ration  not 
only  those  who  were  sick,  but  those  who  took  care  of 
them. 

We  had  in  care  old  Aunt  Mila,  who  was  a  widow 
and  childless  and  very  infirm  ;  also  old  Aunt  Peg, 
who  could  only  "  min'  child."  Speaking  of  her 
master,  who  was  very  white-headed,  she  said,  — 

''  Oh,  massa  ain't  old  as  me.  Us  been  playfellows 
togedder.  But  massa  ain't  stan'  lika  me,  ma'am. 
Hard  work  an'  beatin'  about  make  us  grow  ole  too 
fast.  Us  been  ole  w'en  him  young.  Massa  lib  soft 
w'en  us  lib  hard." 


238         FIRST   DAYS   WITH   THE   CONTRABANDS 

One  morning  early  we  were  told  old  Daddy  Isaac 
had  gone  home.  He  had  been  helpless  for  a  long 
time.  With  his  snow-white  head  and  grizzly  beard, 
he  seemed  like  a  breathing  image  of  the  pictures  of 
death  in  the  old-fashioned  catechisms. 

As  I  stood  by  his  grave  I  thought  how  glorious 
heaven  must  seem  to  this  poor  old  man,  so  despised 
and  rejected  and  beat  about  here.  How  he  would 
wonder  to  find  himself  ministered  to  by  the  angels, 
when  his  highest  wish  here  had  been  to  have  me  put 
something  into  his  hands  to  eat. 

"  Yourself,  missis,  please.  Right  in  my  hand  here," 
he  would  say,  and  whatever  I  gave  him  he  received 
with  great  satisfaction.  I  have  thought  sometimes 
that  perhaps  it  seemed  like  a  communion  service  to 
the  old  man  to  have  the  bread  broken  for  him. 

All  his  life  he  had  lain  on  a  blanket  on  the  floor ; 
I  tried  to  have  him  put  on  a  bed,  but  he  declined :  — 

''  Oh,  no,  missis,  I  t'ank  you,"  he  said.  '*  Oh,  no ; 
kase  this  place  is  used  to  me." 

Settling  down. 

During  the  war  our  island  had  been  stripped  of 
everything ;  so  when  the  freed  people  began  to  work 
for  themselves  they  had  nothing  but  their  hands  and 
hoes  to  work  with ;  no  animals,  and  no  agricultural 
implements. 

Some  of  the  men  and  women  built  for  themselves 
"  mud-huts,"  so  as  to  live  on  their  own  lands.  These 
were  sometimes  called  "  camps,"  in  which  the  peo- 
ple lived  in  the  most,  miserable  manner.     These  huts 


WITH   THE   FREEDMEN  239 

might  be  safe  in  Lapland,  but  were  sure  death  on  the 
sea-islands.  The  newly  upturned  earth  above  and 
beneath  them  was  full  of  malarious  poison. 

These  huts  consisted  of  four  rough  posts  from  six 
to  eight  feet  high,  with  sides  of  plank,  which  the 
people  split  from  the  pine-trees  in  the  woods.  The 
pine  boughs  were  laid  on  the  top  for  a  roof,  and  this 
was  covered  with  a  thick  coating  of  mud  from  the 
swamps.  There  was  no  floor  and  no  chimney.  The 
dwellers  sat  and  slept  on  the  ground,  and  built  their 
fires  on  one  side,  letting  the  smoke  go  out  of  the 
cracks.  When  it  rained,  the  place  was  flooded,  and 
when  the  sun  came  out  the  steaming  mass  sent  out 
mostnoxioas  gases. 

In  June  we  had  eight  days  of  constant  rain,  a 
most  unusual  storm  for  the  season.  In  the  midst  of 
one  of  the  heaviest  showers  a  freedman  came  to  tell 
me  his  little  girl  was  very  sick,  and  there  was  no 
place  in  his  camp  where  they  could  keep  her  from 
the  water.  Before  we  could  arrange  to  have  her 
removed,  the  little  creature  died. 

This  is  a  picture  of  the  condition  of  very  many 
others.  They  went  into  these  huts  against  the  wishes 
and  advice  of  their  best  friends,  in  order  to  save  rent 
or  any  tax  upon  their  next  crops.  They  wanted  to 
save  something  to  help  build  houses  for  themselves. 

When  the  young  and  able-bodied  people  were  out 
of  provisions,  we  were  advised  to  advance  a  little  to 
them,  keeping  an  account,  which  they  were  to  pay 
when  their  cotton  was  picked  and  sold.  This  was  to 
help  them  to  be  independent.     It  was  hard  for  these 


240         FIRST  DAYS    WITH   THE   CONTRABANDS 

working  people  to  be  told,  as  they  were  sometimes, 
that  they  must  not  eat  as  much  as  they  wanted,  and 
must  be  thankful  not  to  starve. 

One  morning  I  found  a  man  who  had  once  been 
house-servant  waiting  to  see  me.  He  tried,  to  speak, 
but  broke  down  and  began  to  cryl  At  last  he  told 
me  he  came  for  help;  he  and  his  wife  and  five  chil- 
dren had  not  a  mouthful  of  food.  I  asked  why  he 
did  not  come  to  me  before. 

''  O  ma'am,  I  so  shame  for  come  !  When  the 
people  comes  all  the  time  for  trouble  you,  it  'pears 
like  they  wants  to  'pose  upon  you,"  he  said. 

Another  day  a  little  boy  from  ''  Hangman's 
Swamp"  came  to  us  before  breakfast.  He  was  not 
more  than  eight  years  old,  and  had  walked  ten  miles, 
bringing  with  him  half  a  dozen  green  apples,  so  as 
not  to  come  empty-handed.  His  mother  was  ill,  and 
she  begged  for  English  flour  and  molasses.  She  had 
six  children  to  feed,  and  nothing  for  them  to  eat. 
They  were  refugees  from  Georgia.  The  weather 
was  so  bad  it  was  not  possible  to  send  the  little  fellow 
off  that  day,  but  the  next  morning  as  soon  as  it  was 
light  he  was  started  off.  Knowing  the  circumstances 
of  the  family,  we  pictured  to  ourselves  the  eagerness 
of  the  other  little  ones  as  they  hurried  out  of  the 
woods  to  the  main  road,  to  watch  for  the  coming  of 
their  brother,  who  was  sure  to  bring  them  relief. 

Events  rushed  on  so  fast,  one  could  be  only  just 
noted  when  others  more  important  would  spring  up. 
Immediately  after  the  little  boy's  visit  another  mes- 
senger came  to  tell  us  the  sick  mother  had  died  and 


WITH  THE   FREEDMEN  241 

they  had  no  burial  clothes  for  her.  The  woman  who 
brought  this  message  had  also  walked  the  ten  miles 
before  breakfast.  We  sent  Uncle  Ned  to  take  her 
part  of  the  way  back  in  the  buggy.  Besides  the 
needed  clothes  for  burial,  she  took  with  her  such 
provisions  as  she  could  carry  on  her  head. 

Misfortunes. 

In  the  autumn  of  1867  we  found  a  poor  condition 
of  affairs.  Many  things  had  seemed  to  conspire 
against  the  freed  people ;  unprecedented  rains  the 
first  of  the  season;  then  caterpillars,  which  came 
two  years  in  succession,  instead  of  once  in  seven 
years,  as  formerly  reported.  These  were  followed  by 
sickness  everywhere,  until  the  strength  and  courage 
of  the  freedmem  were  gone.  The  Northern  people 
around  us  were  disheartened.  But  some  Southerners 
—  ''poor  whites,"  in  the  town,  who  had  nothing  to 
lose,  — looked  upon  these  untoward  circumstances  as  a 
special  manifestation  of  God's  wrath.  The  colored 
people  were  the  most  hopeful.  All  they  asked  was 
work  to  do ;  so  the  men  and  boys  went  to  Savannah 
to  help  gather  the  rice-crop,  whilst  the  women 
picked  the  -  cotton  thinly  scattered  over  the  fields, 
which  they  carried  to  town  on  their  heads  to  sell. 

Smart  mid  Mary   Washington. 

These  were  two  of  the  most  intelligent  and  thrifty 
people  around  us.  They  had  bought  land  and  built 
a  little  house,  and  had  made  a  large  crop  of  corn  as 
well  as  of  cotton.     Their  house  was  a  home  as  well 


242         FIRST    DAYS    WITH   THE   CONTRABANDS 

as  a  haven  of  rest  for  all  of  ''  massa's  niggers  "  who 
needed  such.  But  they  themselves  never  asked  for 
help. 

Old  Maria,  a  '^  fellow-sarvent "  who  had  "  refugeed  '* 
with  them,  became  ill,  so  she  dragged  herself  to 
Smart's  house,  knowing  she  would  be  taken  in  and 
cared  for.  They  did  what  they  could  for  her.  She 
was  ''  one  o'  massa's  niggers,"  and  she  had  "  no  'fam- 
ily," which  means  a  great  deal  to  the  colored  people. 
She  was  helpless,  and  had  come  there  to  die. 

Just  after  the  crops  were  gathered  in  and  stored. 
Smart's  house  took  fire  and  burned  down.  Trying 
to  save  the  poor  old  helpless  woman,  he  and  Mary 
lost  everything  else.  In  this  disaster  I  thought  the 
old  man's  courage  would  surely  fail.  On  the  con- 
trary, he  said,  — 

"  The  Big  Massa  do  all  things,  an'  if  this  be  him 
will,  it  ought  to  be  my  pleasure,  an'  it  shall  be." 

They  built  a  ''  shelter  tent  "  over  the  old  woman, 
until  we  could  have  her  removed  to  a  cabin,  and 
Mary  '*  minded "  her  by  day  and  Smart  by  night. 
Very  soon  the  ''  Big  Massa  "  sent  his  angels  to  carry 
the  poor  helpless  creature  home.  Smart  came  and 
begged  me  'Ho  funeralize  the  body." 

''There  mus'  be  something  in  your  prayer-book 
you  kin  read  for  a  funeral  sarmon,"  he  said.  He  also 
begged  me  to  read  the  nineteenth  chapter  of  Revela- 
tion, "  Blessed  are  they  wliich  are  called  unto  the 
marriage  supper  of  the  Lamb."  "  And  does  it  not 
tell  you  to  '  write  ?  '  "  asked  the  old  man. 

We  had  the  service  out-of-doors.     The  sun  shone 


WITH   THE   FREEDMEK  243 

warm  and  bright  as  we  stood  around  the  rude  coffin 
made  of  rough  boards.  Smart  was  strenuous  that  no 
word  of  the  burial  service  should  be  omitted,  even  to 
the  sprinkling  of  ashes  on  the  coffin. 

Miss  Fannie  wrote  to  some  friends  in  the  North 
of  Smart's  misfortunes  and  patience  —  for  he  came 
"  to  revise  with  me  according  to  his  distrust "  (dis- 
tress) —  and  these  friends  sent  money  for  us  to  build 
him  a  house.  When  we  told  him  of  this,  and  that 
there  should  be  a  good  chimney  and  glazed  windows 
and  a  piazza,  he  could  not  speak.    As  he  said  later,  — 

"  The  water  splash  all  over  my  face.  My  heart's 
so  full,  I'se  'bleged  to  cry." 

Soon  after  the  old  people  were  settled  in  their  new 
house.  Smart  found  his  brother,  a  poor  half-witted 
fellow,  and  brought  him  home  to  stay.  He  had 
always  been  good-natured,  but  was  "  an  innocent," 
they  called  him.  Long  before  the  war  the  overseer 
set  him  a  hard  task,  which  he  failed  to  do ;  so  he 
ran  away  and  hid  until  he  was  starved  out,  when  he 
came  back.  For  this  the  overseer  ordered  an  anklet 
to  be  forged  on  to  his  left  ankle,  which  was  done. 
But  the  poor  fellow  "howled  so,"  they  threw  water 
upon  the  hot  iron,  which  scalded  all  the  flesh.  The 
iron  band  was  taken  off,  but  the  wound  never  healed. 

During  the  war  Smart  lost  sight  of  his  brother; 
but  as  soon  as  he  found  him  he  brought  him  "  home 
to  die."  He  and  his  family  were  greatly  rejoiced  to 
find  the  wanderer. 

He  only  lived  a  short  time,  so  Smart  came  again  to 
beg  me  "to   funeralize    the    body."     But   when   I 


244        FIRST  DAYS   WITH   THE   COKTRABAKBS 

reached  the  house  the  ''  box  "  for  the  body  was  not 
made.  ''  No  matter,"  said  the  old  man  ;  "  please  read 
the  sarvice,  then  we  has  nothing  to  do  but  put  him 
in  the  box  and  kiver  him  up,"  which  I  proceeded  to 
do,  whilst  a  man  scattered  real  ashes  over  the  body. 
Truly  "no  matter  "  !  In  spite  of  his  hard  past,  and  his 
present  rough  surroundings,  he  had  inherited  the 
kingdom  ;  the  same  promises  given  to  the  highest 
in  the  land  were  his. 

Good  Mary  Washington  did  not  long  enjoy  the 
comforts,  I  may  say  luxuries,  of  her  new  house. 
When  she  died,  Smart  was  indeed  bereaved.  He 
said,  ''  I  am  lonesome  to  death."  He  sent  word  he 
wished  to  see  me,  "  for  I  am  pretty  much  cut  up 
now." 

I  appointed  an  interview,  and  he  came  looking  most 
forlorn,  and  said,  — 

"  I  can't  live  so,  I  declar',  ma'am ;  I  jes'  begin  to 
miss  Mary.  Now  the  old  woman  is  a  great  missing 
everywhere  ;  the  very  dumb  animals  is  all  broke  up 
an'  mourn  for  him  so ;  an'  w'en  I  hear  the  creeturs 
cry,  it  cuts  like  a  sword  through  my  heart." 

Then  shuffling  and  looking  down  he  said,  "I  t'inks, 
ma'am,  I  mus'  have  some  gal  come  to  stay  wid  me  an' 
keep  my  house." 

"  But  Mary  has  not  been  dead  two  months ! "  I  ex- 
claimed, surprised. 

"  That's  so,  ma'am  ;  but  I  can't  live  so." 

I  thought  his  lot  was  a  hard  one,  so  I  told  him  to 
be  very  careful  who  he  chose,  for  there  were  not 
many  girls  who  could  fill  good  Mary's  place. 


WITH  THE  :freedmen  245 

''  Oh,  I  is  keerf ul,"  he  said.  "  I  done  pick  him  out 
already ;  a  real  likely  gal.  I  'specs  to  make  a  wife 
of  him." 

I  was  not  a  little  astonished,  but  told  him  to  bring 
the  girl  for  me  to  see. 

''I  done  bring  him  already,"  said  the  old  man. 
Thereupon  he  opened  the  door,  and  beckoned  to  some 
one. 

''Scrape  your  foot,  gal,  and  show  the  lady  your 
manners,"  said  he. 

His  intended  bride  was  a  coarse,  stolid-looking  ne- 
gress,  middle-aged,  without  any  of  the  gentleness 
and  real  refinement  which  belonged  to  Aunt  Mary. 
She  assured  me  she  "  t'ink  well  of  the  ole  man,  an' 
was  sure  to  do  her  best." 

But  she  was  so  taken  up  gazing  around  the  room, 
and  taking  note  of  all  the  new  and  curious  things 
she  saw,  she  paid  but  little  heed  to  what  was  said  to 
her. 

Smart's  new  wife  proved  a  "poor  investment." 
Not  many  months  after  the  marriage  both  begged  me 
to  come  and  settle  some  domestic  difficulties ;  but 
there  seemed  no  hope  of  readjustment,  and  after 
several  trials  I  advised  the  old  man  to  return  the 
woman  to  her  former  home  on  the  Shell  Road,  which 
he  gladly  did. 

Blind  Josey  had  been  enrolled  in  school,  and 
he  always  insisted  upon  standing  in  a  class  and  re- 
peating the  lesson  after  the  other  children.  He  died, 
and  I  was  asked  to  go  to  the  ''  back  field  "  and  read 


246        FIEST  DAYS   WITH  THE   CONTRABANDS 

the  burial  service.  I  found  the  rough  box  put  on  a 
small  table  out-of-doors ;  a  piece  of  white  cloth, 
evidently  a  skirt  ripped  up,  covered  it,  and  on  this 
the  school-children  had  placed  some  flowers.  I  read 
the  service  as  requested,  and  ashes  were  thrown  over 
the  box,  after  which  it  was  put  i^to  a  mule-cart. 
Then  the  poor  mother,  who  was  lame,  came  out  with 
an  old  coat  over  her  head,  and  took  a  seat  on  the  box. 
The  procession  started,  the  school-children  following 
behind  vociferously  singing.  When  they  reached  the 
grave,  the  leader  told  them  to  "  put  down  the  box, 
and  kiver  it  up,  for  the  missis  had  done  buried  it 
already." 

Some  Northern  friends  came  to  see  us,  and  we  took 
them  one  night  to  a  "  praise-meeting."  Uncle  Major, 
the  leader,  thanked  the  Lord  "  for  allowing "  our 
friends  to  come  here.  "  Dey  who  t'ink  it  no  robbery 
to  leave  dar  homes  an'  'biding-places  to  come  here  to 
stop  wid  we  for  a  season." 


THANKSGIVING  247 


XXI 

THANKSGIVING 

When  Thanksgiving  Day  came  in  1867,  we  wished 
to  remember  the  time  with  our  Northern  friends. 
We  had  peace  if  not  plenty,  and  were  contented  if 
not  comfortable.  By  we  I  mean  the  colored  peo- 
ple. In  the  virtue  of  patience  and  contentment 
they  led.  We  decided  to  introduce  this  day  to 
the  very  old  people,  so  we  gave  thirty  men  and 
women  one  pound  of  hacon^  and  a  pint  of  molasses ; 
this  was  all  we  could  do.  But  they  declared  with 
great  glee  this  was  the  first  Thanksgiving  they  ever 
had. 

Nov.  26, 1868,  was  appointed  as  a  national  Thanks- 
giving. The  governor  of  South  Carolina  also  i§- 
sued  a  proclamation  for  the  observance  of  that  day. 
I  do  not  know  that  this  was  the  first  Thanksgiving 
proclamation  ever  issued  in  the  State,  but  it  was  the 
first  after  the  war,  and  the  first  in  which  the  negroes 
could  participate. 

My  young  companion  was  jubilant  over  this.  She 
wrote  home :  — 

"How  nice  it  is  to  be  once  more  in  the  Union,  and  to  have  the 
same  holidays  as  our  Northern  friends.    Think  of  us  now  as  recon- 


248        FIRST  DAYS   WITH   THE   CONTKABAKDS 

structed;  I  am  sure  we  ought  to  be  so  considered  after  Wade 
Hampton's  last.  Is  it  not  glorious  to  have  such  unanimity  of 
feeling  throughout  the  country  ?  " 

To  signalize  and  celebrate  this  Thanksgiving,  we 
invited  twelve  of  our  oldest  and  most  decrepit  con- 
trabands to  a  state  dinner.  It  was  a  great  occasion. 
One  old  man,  who  had  never  sat  down  at  a  table,  pre- 
ferred to  take  his  plate  in  his  hand  and  sit  on  the 
piazza  to  eat.  The  rest  took  their  seats  with  great 
composure.  We  knew  they  had  never  sat  at  a  table 
before,  and  were  interested  to  see  what  they  would 
do ;  but  they  were-  embarrassed  by  our  presence,  so 
we  left  them  to  the  care  of  Aunt  Jane  and  Uncle 
Ned,  who  were  ostensibly  our  cook  and  butler,  and  who 
waited  upon  them  with  the  polite  attention  worthy  a 
more  conspicuous  occasion.  No  pen-and-ink  sketch 
can  represent  this  unique  group.  It  would  require 
an  artist's  brush  and  a  graphic  pen  to  describe  their 
manners  and  dress  and  conversation.  All  were  pure 
black.  The  women  wore  bright,  well-arranged  ker- 
chiefs, and  the  men  had  on  conspicuous  neckties. 
They  were  neat  and  orderly  as  possible  under  the 
circumstances. 

"  Shall  I  give  you  a  cup  of  coffee,  sir?  "  says  Aunt 
Jane ;  or,  ''  Do  you  wish  me  to  cut  you  a  piece  of 
meat,  ma'am  ?  "  says  Uncle  Ned.  ''  If  you  please, 
ma'am ; "  or,  "  Do  so  brudder,"  were  the  replies. 
These  people  were  intimately  associated  daily,  but 
they  were  now  "  on  their  dignity.'* 


SHORT   STORIES  249 

Short  Stories. 

A  man  hurried  to  the  school,  saying,  he  wanted 
''to  catch  one  or  two  lessons,  for  he  was  "jes'  crazy 
for  larn." 

A  ''settled"  (married)  Avoman  thought  if  she 
could  only  learn  her  letters  it  would  be  something. 
We  gave  her  a  book  with  the  alphabet  to  take  home 
with  her.  The  next  day  she  returned,  and,  pointing 
to  the  letter  B,  said  she  had  "  been  chasing  him  all 
night,  but  couldn't  catch  him." 

Old  Aunt  Hetty  was  a  great-grandmother.  She 
and  Uncle  Major  had  just  built  themselves  a  small 
house,  cutting  the  trees,  and  splitting  out  the  planks 
themselves,  which  they  "toted"  on  their  shoulders  to 
their  lot.  They  were  very  happy  when  they  moved 
into  this  house,  after  living  all  their  lives  in  the 
negro  quarters  —  "  nigger  houses  "  they  called  them. 

One  day  Hetty  came  to  me  full  of  trouble.  After 
narrating  her  grievances,  she  looked  up  most  cheer- 
fully, and  exclaimed,  "  But,  bless  the  Lord !  w'en  I 
puts  my  foot  first  out  o'  bed  in  the  morning,  and  thinks 
this  is  my  own  floor,  an'  I  is  free,  I  can't  thankful 
'nuff." 

I  went  to  the  quarters  on  an  errand  one  night,  and 
saw  a  child  we  called  "  the  little  woman,"  sitting 
on  the  hearth  reading  her  book  by  firelight,  while 
her  feet  were  buried  in  the  warm  ashes.  The  mother 
said,  "  Oh,  I  is  so  glad  to  hear  my  child  read  at  night! 
It  makes  me  proud.  She  knows  so  much,  an'  I  ain't 
know  nothiDg." 


250         FIRST   DAYS    WITH   THE   CONTRABANDS 

I  punished  a  boy  by  placing  him  in  a  corner  with 
his  face  to  the  wall.  When  his  mother  heard  of  it 
she  was  highly  offended,  because  I  "  hurt  the  feelings 
of  her  boy."  She  sent  me  a  saucy  letter,  in  which 
she  said  I  "  could  lick  him,  for  licks  is  a  very  good 
thing  for  a  chile,  but  she  didn't  want  his  feelings 
hurted." 

I  showed  the  letter  to  some  of  the  older  people. 
They  were  greatly  incensed  at  her.  Her  sister 
stopped  me  as  I  rode  by,  "  to  make  me  sensible  "  she 
did  not  approve  of  Rose's  conduct.  Said  she,  "  Rose 
an'  me  had  one  mother,  but  two  fathers,  an'  her 
always  was  a  crack-brained  nigger,  anyhow." 

Rose's  mother  also  came  to  express  her  displeasure, 
saying,  she  "would  not  have  my  feelings  hurted  for 
something  handsome.  Her  is  a  flat-nosed,  thick- 
lipped,  know-nothing  nigger,  an'  alluz  was." 

Old  Uncle  Ned  wished  to  go  North  with  us  to 
work,  and  to  take  a  young  friend  Avith  him.  I  told 
him  it  might  not  be  easy  to  arrange  matters  for  him 
in  a  Northern  home. 

''In  course,"  he  said,  "I  doesn't  wish  to  discommo- 
date  Masser  John.  But,  Lord  bless  you,  ma'am !  he 
needn't  trouble  hisself  'bout  dat,  fur  Fred  an'  me, 
us  could  sleep  in  de  barn,  up-stairs,  an'  us  could  eat 
whar  de  people  is,  an'  no  trouble  to  nobody." 

On  Good  Friday  a  little  girl  came,  bringing  a  very 
small  chicken  to  give  us,  assuring  us  it  was  ''not  fur 
sell."  I  very  well  knew  help  was  needed  in  every 
house.  The  chicken  was  a  polite  offering  as  a 
reminder.  I  asked  the  child  if  she  had  had  breakfast, 
or  anything  to  eat. 


SHORT    STOKIES  251 

"  No,  ma'am  ;  us  waiting  now  for  the  tide  to  go 
out  so  us  can  go  into  the  creek  to  catch  crabs,"  she 
said. 

There  were  so  many  destitute  people  around  us  it 
nearly  drove  us  wild.  Ned,  our  house-servant,  made 
up  his  mind  the  people  must  starve. 

I  heard  Hector,  our  little  waiter,  singing  in  a  loud 

voice,  — 

"  O  Lord!  w'en  I  die, 
I  want  to  git  to  heben, 
My  Lord,  w'en  I  die." 

Looking  out  of  the  window,  I  saw  him  shouting 
on  the  back  piazza,  hopping  first  on  one  foot  and 
then  on  the  other,  and  clapping  his  hands,  keep- 
ing time  to  the  music.  "  Little  rascal !  "  said  Miss 
Fannie,  looking  over  my  shoulder.  "  He  has 
enough  to  eat,  and  is  never  hungry.  Why  can't  he 
be  content  with  heaven  here,  and  not  sigh  for  a  better 
place?" 

We  tried  in  vain  to  get  help  for  them  from  the 
Freedmen's  Bureau.  "'  Tell  them  to  go  to  work," 
said  the  superintendent  in  reply  to  our  petition.  This 
seemed  hard  when  they  were  working  day  and  night 
too. 

I  told  Jackson  Green  what  a  planter  on  St.  Helena 
Island  said  of  the  freed  people. 

"  The  gentleman  shouldn't  come  here  to  bring  us 
to  the  ground  in  down-heartedness  ;  he  should  re- 
member what  us  has  gone  through  with,  fur  he  know 
how  it  was  'fore  the  war,"  he  said. 

The  negroes  on  St.  Helena  Island  took  possession 


252        FIRST   DAYS    WITH   THE   CONTRABANDS 

of  all  the  horses,  mules,  and  cattle,  and  hid  them 
away  in  the  swamps,  so  the  foraging-parties  could 
not  find  them.  But  the  people  on  Port  Royal  Island 
were  so  near  the  river,  the  men  on  the  gunboats  took 
all  the  live-stock,  and  the  negroes  were  drafted  as 
soldiers. 

One  morning  Katrine,  a  fine-looking  negress,  came 
to  beg  for  a  bit  of  black  to  wear  as  mourning  for  her 
mother.  Aunt  Peg.  ''  But  she  die  so  pretty,  ma'am," 
said  the  mourning  daughter.  "  She  see  all  her  family 
as  has  died  afore  'round  her,  an'  the  angels,  you  know, 
ma'am,  kum  for  she.  Her  said  him  arms  was  wings, 
an'  him  gown  a  'scension  robe.  Her  said  there  was  a 
great  gang  o'  little  childun  'round  she,  an'  them  pull 
her  so  her  tell  'em  loud,  '  Go  'long,  I'll  come.'  Oh, 
her  die  so  pretty  !  " 

I  asked  a  class  of  little  boys,  "  What  are  your  ears 
for?" 

''  Oh,  they  jes'  stan'  ^o,"  said  one.  "•  They  is  made 
fur  put  on  the  head." 

''  Then  what  is  your  hair  for  ?  " 

"  Oh,  hair  is  for  keep  sun  out,  so  folks  won't  get 
fever." 

Aunt  Jane  called  the  little  waiter.  "  Hector,  you 
come  set  the  hen  fur  me  ;  dat's  good  boy,"  coax- 
ingly.  Then  excusing  herself  to  me,  "  Fur  don't  you 
know,  ma'am,  'tain't  every  somebody  kin  set  a  hen 
an'  have  her  come  off  all  right.  Some  particular 
somebodies  has  a  good  hand." 

So  Hector  took  the  eggs  and  began  to  lay  them 
down  carefully,  but  the  old  woman  flew  at  him  like 
a  veritable  hen,  exclaiming,  — 


CHRISTMAS   GIFTS  263 

"  You  mustn't  touch  'em,  boy.  Slip  'em  in.  Don't 
you  know  if  you  lay  'em  down  one  at  a  time  dey'U 
hatch  out  de  same  ?  " 

After  this  we  watched  biddy  in  her  nest  in  a  bas- 
ket under  the  stairs  with  interest. 

Christmas   Gifts. 

The  Christmas  festivals  were  great  occasions  for 
old  and  young.  As  yet  there  seemed  to  be  no  dis- 
tinctive childhood.  Old  people  were  like  children, 
and  the  children  worked  with  their  elders.  Little 
boys  and  girls  went  into  the  fields  and  dropped  corn 
and  thinned  cotton. 

We  gave  some  beautiful  dolls  to  the  little  girls,  but 
at  first  they  did  not  know  what  to  do  with  them. 
Their  mothers  immediately  took  them  and  put  them 
up  as  house  decorations,  after  examining  them  criti- 
cally. All  the  old  people  were  as  delighted  with  toys 
and  games  as  the  veriest  child.  Old  men  would  dis- 
pute the  tilts  and  swings  with  the  small  boys,  and 
found  ball-playing  a  most  exciting  game. 

We  had  our  schoolhouse  newly  painted  and  white- 
washed. It  was  interesting  to  see  the  delight  of  the 
children  over  this.  The  little  ones  would  lie  down 
with  their  faces  against  the  painted  floor  of  the  piazza, 
and  stretch  out  their  arms  as  if  caressing  it.  Of 
course  the  clean  and  fresh  schoolroom  was  a  haven  of 
rest,  so  unlike  their  dark  and  dingy  homes.  It  was 
not  surprising  that  when  they  came  from  their  field- 
work,  to  which  they  went  at  break  of  day,  they  were 
glad  to  lay  their  heads  on  their  desks  and  go  to  sleep. 


254         FIRST   DAYS   WITH   THE   CONTKABANDS 

We  daily  found  two  or  three  in  this  condition,  and 
rarely  had  the  heart  to  disturb  them.  They  needed 
rest,  and  we  were  sure  they  would  learn  all  the  better 
when  they  awoke.  These  sleepy  ones  always  declared 
their  drowsiness  came  from  the  house  and  benches. 
Like  my  house-boy,  Nat,  who  frequently  went  to  sleep 
in  a  big  rocking-chair  after  he  had  built  my  fire.  He 
would  look  around  indignantly  when  aroused,  and 
exclaim,  — 

'*  Dat  chair  !     Dat  chair  is  too  wicked  !  " 

At  one  of  the  festivals  I  gave  a  woman  a  tin  cup 
of  hot  coffee.  She  held  out  her  hand  for  another.  I 
expressed  surprise,  when  she  said,  — 

"  O  ma'am,  I  wants  dat  fur  my  ole  man,  who  is 
sick  at  home  an'  can't  come." 

In  the  winter  most  of  the  children  were  ''  seeking 
and  praying."  The  older  people  said,  "  They  do  hang 
their  heads  and  pray  ;  "  and  they  were  not  allowed  to 
do  much  of  anything  else  for  fear  they  would  ''  be 
turned  back." 

One  woman  said  of  her  adopted  daughter,  "  She 
has  been  hanging  her  head  and  trying  to  pray  these 
three  months,  and  she  hasn't  got  through  yit,  and 
she  don't  want  to  do  nothing  in  all  this  time." 

These  religious  revivals  were  a  source  of  much  dis- 
turbance in  school  routine.  Some  of  the  seekers  were 
little  children.  We  cannot  call  these  "  religious  ex- 
citements;" the  young  seekers  were  in  a  stupid  and 
lethargic  condition.  They  began  by  wearing  the  most 
ragged  and  untidy  clothing,  and  they  often  tied  dirty 
bands  around  their  heads,  literally  putting  on  sack- 


CHRISTMAS   GIFTS  255 

cloth  and  ashes.  Some  children  were  not  allowed  to 
come  to  school  for  fear  they  would  be  turned  back. 
A  little  girl  was  told  she  was  too  young  to  seek.  She 
drew  herself  up  and  said,  "  If  Maria,"  one  of  her 
mates,  ''  could  go  into  the  water,  she  could  go  too." 

Two  colored  men  set  out  some  trees,  live-oaks  and 
water-oaks,  for  me.  "  They  is  sure  to  live,  for  I  shall 
spection  them  every  week,"  said  one.  But,  in  spite 
of  his  ''  'spection,"  the  trees  did  not  live,  which  they 
were  sure  was  due  to  the  "  oncommon  dry  time." 

At  one  time  I  proposed  to  give  the  school-children 
a  vacation  during  the  holidays ;  but  to  my  surprise 
this  was  not  received  with  favor,  so  I  asked  what 
was  vacation.  One  boy  exclaimed  jubilantly, ''  Some- 
thing for  eat ;  "  but  others  said,  "  To  do  nothing." 

"  Then  you  had  rather  do  something  ?  "  said  I. 

"  Yes^  ma^am!''^  they  exclaimed  with  emphasis. 

I  knew  very  well  this  was  not  altogether  their  love 
for  school.  Their  homes  were  dull  and  uncomfort- 
able, and  they  were  lonesome  there. 

I  pursued  my  investigations  farther,  and  asked, 
''Why  do  we  celebrate  Christmas  ?  " 

To  my  surprise,  neither  the  women  in  the  sewing- 
room,  nor  the  children,  could  give  an  answer.  The 
word '' celebrate  "  had  upset  them,  and  thrown  all 
their  ideas  into  confusion.  Then  I  told  them  about 
Christmas,  using  as  simple  language  as  possible,  when 
one  of  the  larger  boys  exclaimed,  "  Us  ain't  know 
that''s  what  you  mean!  " 


256         FIRST   DAYS   WITH   THE   CONTRABANDS 

Festival. 

Through  the  kindness  of  our  friend  Rev.  James 
Freeman  Clarke  and  his  church,  we  were  enabled  to 
give  an  annual  festival  to  all  the  colored  people  in 
our  vicinity.  There  were  over  three  hundred  of 
them.  The  maimed,  the  lame,  and  the  blind,  all 
came  together  "  for  a  good  time.''  Never  did  host- 
esses have  merrier  guests.  The  young  people  had 
lost  much  of  their  diffidence,  and  moved  about  with 
great  freedom. 

'-'•  A  festival  is  fur  eat,  an'  it  makes  me  laugh  to 
t'ink  of  it,"  said  old  Aunt  Kate. 

The  men  ''based"  their  shouting  songs,  in  which 
all  joined  with  tremendous  force  :  — 

''  I  can't  stay  behind,  my  Lord  ; 
I  can't  stay  behind." 

''  Nobody  knows  the  trouble  I  feel, 
Nobody  knows  but  Jesus." 

"  O  believer,  go  ring  that  bell, 
Ring  that  charming  bell." 

''Keep  your  lamps  trimmed  and  burning, 
When  the  bridegroom  comes." 

At  one  of  these  festivals  we  were  gratified  to  hear 
a  Northern  gentleman  say  to  our  guests  that  he  found 
great  improvement  in  the  condition  of  the  people 
since  he  saw  them  before.  He  congratulated  them 
upon  the  upward  progress  they  were  making. 

Mrs.  Frances  D.  Gage,  the  poet,  was  also  with  us, 
and  gave  some  of  her  experiences  when  she  came 
South  in  1862  as  superintendent  and  teacher. 


FESTIVAL  267 

Now  she  found  great  changes  for  the  better,  and  she 
praised  the  mothers  for  their  care  of  their  children, 
which  pleased  the  women  immensely. 

One  of  the  men  in  his  speech  declared,  ''The 
teachers  is  too  kind-hearted."  He  wanted  his  chil- 
dren "  licked  in  school."  When  they  were  "  licked  " 
he  was  sure  they  learned  well. 

This  reminded  me  of  the  woman  on  St.  Helena, 
w^ho  said,  "  Boy  chile  made  fur  lick.  What  did  the 
Lord  Almighty  make  trees  fur  if  they  ain't  fur  lick 
boy  chillen?" 

Another  man  said,  "  I  send  my  children  to  school 
every  day,  and  when  they  come  I  ask  them  what  they 
do,  and  they  incites  their  lessons  to  me ;  and  I  ain't 
no  fault  to  find." 

This  same  man  said  on  another  occasion,  "  When  we 
want  anything  done  I  go  to  Miss  Mattoon's  house,  and 
she  insults  me  and  I  insult  [consult]  her;  and  then  it 
is  all  right." 

About  this  time  two  little  white  girls  presented 
themselves,  and  asked  to  be  taken  into  school.  They 
belonged  to  a  good  old  Southern  family,  but  were  out 
of  the  reach  of  any  other  school.  The  children  of 
their  mother's  cook  had  told  them  what  we  were 
doing,  and  they  were  eager  to  be  enrolled.  They 
came  regularly,  and  were  very  happy,  and  made  good 
progress.  The  youngest  was  in  the  same  class  with 
her  little  black  playfellow,  both  learning  to  read ;  but 
the  black  girl  started  first,  and  so  was  ahead. 

It  was  touching  to  see  her  zeal  in  trying  to  help  on 
her  white  companion,  and  her  manifest  delight  when 
her  friend  said  anything  particularly  good. 


258        FIRST   DAYS   WITH   THE   CONTRABANDS 

But  at  the  end  of  two  months  the  little  maidens 
told  me  with  evident  reluctance  and  regret,  that  they 
could  not  come  any  longer,  "  they  were  needed  at 
home." 

I  suspected  there  were  other  reasons,  so  I  called 
upon  the  mother,  a  most  intelligent  and  refined 
woman.  She  confessed  the  Southern  white  people 
had  ''made  so  much  fuss"  because  she  allowed  the 
children  to  go  to  a  '-'nigger  school^^^  she  felt  obliged  to 
take  them  away.  She  regretted  this,  for  the  children 
played  all  the  time  with  their  colored  companions. 
They  had  been  brought  up  with  them,  but  must  grow 
up  in  ignorance  rather  than  to  be  allowed  to  study 
with  them. 

"  I  would  not  care  myself,  but  the  young  men  laugh 
at  my  husband.  They  tell  him  he  must  be  pretty  far 
gone  and  low  down  when  he  sends  his  children  to  a 
'nigger  school.^  That  makes  him  mad,  and  he  is 
vexed  with  me,"  said  the  mother  sadly. 

We  all  greatly  regretted  that  these  bright  young 
girls  should  be  removed,  and  so  lose  the  opportunity 
for  study ;  but  I  could  well  understand  the  odium 
was  too  great  to  be  resisted. 


SPECULATORS  260 


XXII 

SPECULATORS 

A  SWARM  of  speculators  hung  about  the  freed  peo- 
ple, to  get  away  their  lands.  They  used  various 
means,  chief  of  which  was  bad  whiskey,  treating  the 
poor  men  to  get  them  to  give  up  their  deeds,  and 
treating  them  to  clinch  the  bargain.  No  lands  could 
fce  bought  at  this  time  excepting  by  colored  people 
viho  were  heads  of  families,  so  the  speculators  con- 
trived many  ways  to  keep  possession.  They  held  the 
deeds  "  in  trust,"  and  "  for  safe  keeping,"  and  "  as 
guaranty  for  the  payment  of  some  debt,"  etc. 

The  poor  negroes  became  more  than  ever  eager  to 
''  get  book-larning,"  realizing  that  designing  people 
took  advantage  of  their  ignorance.  They  constantly 
said  to  me,  — 

"  My  Lord,  ma'am,  what  a  great  thing  larning  is  ! 
In  course  white  folks  can  do  what  they  likes,  for  they 
know  so  much  more'na  we." 

At  the  same  time  these  "  white  folks  "  were  using 
and  abusing  the  negroes.  If  business  went  well,  and 
money  flowed  in  freely,  all  was  right ;  but  when 
reverses  came,  whatever  was  the  primary  cause,  it 
was   always  attributed  to   the   'inevitable  nigger." 


260         FIEST   DAYS   WITH   THE   CONTRABANDS 

We  were  often  astonished  at  the  angry  diatribes  of 
our  white  neighbors.  From  observation  we  were 
forced  to  believe  that  ''  white  folks,"  with  all  their 
"  larning,"  could  sometimes  make  mistakes  and 
mismanage. 

Year  after  year  it  was  the  old  story  with  the  freed 
people, — short  crops  and  no  money.  An  old  man 
came  to  me  for  advice.     He  said,  — 

"  Sometimes  when  I  sets  down  and  studies  upon 
what  I  can  find  to  put  in  my  mouth,  the  water  leaps 
from  my  eyes  and  runs  down  my  face  from  pure  dis- 
trust [distress],  for  I  ain't  know  what  to  do  next. 
For  I  is  a  well-raised  man,  and  I  ain't  used  to  com- 
plainments." 

In  1868  I  wrote  to  the  agent  of  the  Freedmen's 
Bureau  in  Beaufort,  as  I  knew  he  had  corn  and  meat 
to  distribute.  I  told  him  I  would  pledge  my  word 
for  the  industry  of  our  people ;  besides,  there  were 
many  who  were  old,  sick,  and  helpless. 

He  replied,  "  It  is  direct  cruelty  to  the  race  for 
government  to  assist  the  people  with  rations.  I  have 
no  doubt  you  will  see  it  in  this  same  light  upon  re- 
flection. Tell  the  people  from  me  they  must  work 
for  some  one  who  has  corn  to  pay  for  labor." 

This  was  a  cruel  blow.  We  knew  the  man  had  a 
cargo  of  corn  for  distribution.  We  had  been  with 
the  freed  people  four  years,  and  thought  we  under- 
stood them  quite  as  well  as  this  new  official. 

One  of  our  men  had  a  broken  leg.  I  asked  the 
agent  if  this  man  and  the  old  women  could  "  go  to 
work  "  ?  and  would  he  advise  those  who  had  planted 
crops  to  abandon  them  and  seek  work  elsewhere  ? 


SPECULATORS  261 

The  people  around  me  were  working  on  two  plan- 
tations for  a  share  in  the  crops,  but  they  had  not  a 
cent  with  which  to  buy  food.  In  this  dilemma  I 
went  again  to  the  bureau  agent.  He  said  each  man 
must  pay  the  sum  of  two  dollars  and  ten  cents  for  a 
bond  before  he  could  get  a  grain  of  corn. 

'^  Lord  bless  me  !  Whar  da  him  comin'  from  ?  " 
exclaimed  old  Uncle  Major,  who  had  gone  with  me 
to  get  rations.  I  reiterated  this.  Where  can  these 
people  get  money  for  a  bond  when  they  have  abso- 
lutely nothing  ?  And  why  were  the  colored  people 
obliged  to  pay  two  dollars  a  bushel  for  corn,  and 
twenty  cents  a  pound  for  bacon,  when  government 
furnished  to  the  white  planters  corn  for  one  dollar 
and  forty  cents  a  bushel,  and  bacon  for  fifteen  cents 
a  pound?  The  reply  was  the  white  planters  were 
sure  to  pay,  as  they  gave  a  lien  upon  their  crops. 

In  the  meantime  the  colored  people  around  us  were 
trying  to  work  their  crops,  having  only  the  fish  and 
crabs  they  caught  in  the  creeks  to  live  on. 

Later  in  the  season  the  bureau  agent  decided  to 
advance  provisions  to  those  people  who  owned  land, 
if  they  pledged  themselves  to  pay  for  this  in  the  fall. 
This  arrangement  did  not  help  the  most  needy. 

Owing  to  their  ignorance  of  the  value  of  cotton,  of 
money,  and  of  the  things  purchased  with  money,  the 
freed  people  were  constantly  imposed  upon  by  those 
who  bought  of  or  sold  to  them. 

One  of  the  officers  said  to  me,  "  All  the  good  the 
Yankee  teachers  do  to  the  freedmen  is  neutralized  by 
the  harm  done  to  them  by  the  Yankee  sharpers." 


262        FIRST  DAYS   WITH   THE   CONTRABANDS 

March  15,  1867,  the  War  Department  Bureau  of 
Refugees,  Freedmen,  and  Abandoned  Lands,  Wash- 
ington, estimated  that  the  number  of  destitute  in 
South  Carolina  were,  "  Whites,  5,000,  and  blacks 
5,000.  Number  of  rations  needed  per  month,  300,000  ; 
for  five  months,  until  the  crops  would  begin  to  be 
gathered,  1,600,000.  Value  at  twenty-five  cents  per 
ration  1375,000." 

With  all  this  outlay  we  could  not  believe  the  blacks 
would  be  left  to  starve. 

In  November  we  went  to  Beaufort  to  see  the  black 
people  in  their  first  great  ''  election  day ;  "  as  was  said 
at  the  time,  ''  one  of  the  greatest  days  ever  known." 
The  flag  for  Grant  and  Colfax  extended  across  the 
street  was  a  wonder  and  a  delight  to  all  the  freed 
people.  The  town  was  crowded ;  but,  contrary  to  the 
predictions  of  many  of  the  white  people  and  hopes  of 
a  few,  the  election  passed  off  admirably,  with  much 
less  friction  than  could  have  been  expected.  There 
was  not  a  drop  of  liquor  sold,  and  no  hanging  about. 
The  negroes  voted  and  went  off'.  This  was  due  to 
their  own  good  management. 

One  of  our  men  came  to  the  carriage  to  speak  with 
us:  — 

''  Do  you  vote  the  Lincoln  ticket  ?  "  said  a  gentle- 
man who  was  with  us. 

"  Oh,  I'se  'bleeged  to  wote  fur  him,  fur  him's  been 
our  fader." 

"  But  Lincoln  is  dead,"  said  another. 

"  Dead  !  "  he  exclaimed.  ''  Oh,  no,  him  neber  die. 
They  tried  to  kill  him  ;  they  'sassernated  him,  but 


SPECULATORS  263 

him  lib  forever.  Wen  him  dead  for  sure,  then  us  all 
dead  sure.     'Tain't  no  use  fur  we  to  try  more." 

Our  man-servant  Ned  was  much  troubled  as  to 
what  to  do  about  his  vote.  As  he  expressed  it,  he 
was  "  toxicated  in  his  mind."  I  heard  him  telling 
Aunt  Jane  with  great  delight  about  this.  A  gentle- 
man asked  him  where  he  came  from.  -He  said  he 
drove  for  the  ladies.  That  was  enough ;  he  was  taken 
care  of. 

Poor  Ned!  He  did  not  know  that  with  all  his 
ignorance  and  credulity  his  name  was  of  far  more 
value  than  ours,  because  he  was  a  man,  and  we 
only  women.  He  could  cast  a  vote  which  he  could 
not  read,  and  help  to  make  laws  of  whose  import  he 
knew  nothing. 

This  election  was  of  great  importance  to  the 
negroes,  and  was  an  event  in  their  lives  which  they 
were  only  beginning  to  comprehend. 

All  the  colored  people,  whether  church-members 
or  not,  had  a  blind  devotion  to  religious  restrictions. 
They  claimed  to  be  strict  observers  of  the  Sabbath. 

This  same  Uncle  Ned  went  on  Saturday  night  to 
another  plantation  to  see  his  family ;  so  I  directed 
him  to  bring  the  mule  and  cart  with  him  the  next 
day ;  but  the  old  man,  who  always  looked  out  for  the 
main  chance,  concluded  it  was  foolish  to  bring  an 
empty  cart,  so  he  filled  it  with  wood  for  our  use. 
Reporting  this  to  me,  he  said,  — 

"  Many  o'  them  peoples  wonders  at  me  for  bringing 
wood  on  Sunday;  but  I  tells  them  one  man's  need 
ain't  another  man's  need,  an'  each  one  knows  hisself, 


264        FIRST   DAYS    WITH   THE   CONTRABANDS 

SO  I  ax  the  Lord's  pardon  ef  I  does  wrong,  an'  I 
hopes  he'll  furgive  me ;  an'  then  I  jes'  let  Bessie 
[the  mule]  tuck  his  foot  easy  for  home,  an'  I  hopes 
it'll  not  be  amiss,  an  will  be  all  right  by  an'  by." 
So  his  conscience  was  set  at  rest. 

The  same  day  I  had  been  to  a  meeting  of  colored 
people.  The  minister  was  exhorting  the  converts 
who  were  soon  to  be  baptized.     He  said, — 

"  Some  Baptists  are  so  mixed  up  I  don't  know 
what  to  call  them.  They  are  dodging  about  under 
the  umbrellas  and  parasols  of  other  denominations^ 
until  I  don't  know  where  to  find  them." 

At  the  close  of  the  war,  to  our  surprise  and  dis- 
may, the  old  plantation  house  and  grand  oak  grove 
were  sold,  and  we  were  forced  to  seek  a  home 
in  the  town.  This  involved  a  daily  drive  of  five 
miles  to  and  from  school,  over  a  deep,  sandy  road, 
which  made  it  a  slow  and  tedious  trip.  This  also 
removed  us  from  the  immediate  neighborhood  of  the 
people  we  most  desired  to  help.  Now  the  men  and 
women,  knowing  they  could  no  longer  come  to  the 
house  for  advice,  watched  for  us  by  the  roadside. 
Many  were  the  petty  courts  we  thus  held,  sitting  in 
our  open  buggy ;  some  were  amusing,  but  all  were 
more  or  less  pathetic. 

When  family  or  neighborhood  disturbances  arose, 
we  would  find  accuser  and  accused,  with  the  wit- 
nesses, ranged  in  military  order,  waiting  our  coming. 
A  few  decisive  words  usually  sent  them  all  off  laugh- 
ing and  talking  harmoniously. 

One  day  we  met  on  the  way  an  old  man  and  woman 


SPECULATORS  265 

with  two  young  witnesses  marching  to  town.  The 
old  man  immediately  began  to  tell  his  story,  —  some 
trouble  about  his  pigs,  etc.  Whatever  it  was,  he 
decided  he  couldn't  stand  it  any  longer,  and  he  was 
bound  to  go  to  the  trial  justice.  Thereupon  the 
woman  pushed  him  aside,  exclaiming,  — 

''  Pshaw,  boy !  Go  'long,  an'  let  me  talk."  Then 
she  gave  her  version. 

Both  these  people  were  gray-headed.     I  said,  — 

"  Jack,  how  old  are  you  ?  " 

"  Why,  missis,  I  don't  know  how  old  I  is,  but  I 
'specs  I  must  be  a  big  age.  I  ain't  a  chicken,  that's 
sure,"  he  replied. 

'^  Well,  Rose,  what  is  Jack  to  you  ?  "  I  asked. 

"  Nothing,  only  fellow-sarvents,"  she  answered, 
nodding  her  head.     "  I  don't  count  him,  nohow." 

I  told  them  I  was  ashamed  to  see  two  old  people 
quarrelling  like  children.  At  this  the  old  man  hung 
his  head. 

"  When  you  get  to  the  trial  justice,  please  don't 
say  you  came  from  Whitney  School  District,"  I  said, 
and  started  on. 

''Rose,"  said  the  man,  ''let's  go  home.  I  ain't 
min'  what  you  say." 

"  That's  so,  Brudder  Jack.  I  ain't  want  to  fight 
you,"  she  replied,  and  all  turned  back  laughing  and 
talking  like  merry  children. 

Not  far  from  us  lived  a  man  and  his  wife,  who 
were  most  helpful  neighbors.  They  owned  their  own 
house  and  land,  and  were  wise  and  thrifty,  and  were 
leaders  in  the  town  and  the  church.     He  was  business 


266         FIRST  DAYS    WITH   THE   CONTRABANDS 

adviser  to  his  colored  friends,  and  a  devoted  friend 
to  us.  Honest  and  faithful,  he  certainly  lived  up  to 
the  best  light  given  him.  He  was  such  an  efficient 
helper  in  our  goings  and  comings,  and  transacted  so 
much  business  for  me,  that  "  Miss  Sallie  "  named  him 
"  Prime  Minister."  As  such  he  was  a  man  to  be 
proud  of;  very  black,  tall,  and  straight  —  a  fine 
specimen  of  his  race. 

He  always  bought  my  wood  and  feed  for  my  horse, 
etc.  So  he  often  came  to  the  house  for  instructions, 
beginning  with,  — 

"  What  do  you  think,  ma'am  ?  "  And  when  I  had 
given  him  explicit  directions  what  to  do,  he  invariably 
answered,  — 

''  That's  so,  ma'am.  Now,  I  is  going  to  show  you," 
putting  his  fore-finger  emphatically  into  the  other 
hand,  to  point  off  his  suggestions,  ''  for  you  is  a 
women  and  can't  look  into  everi/  pint."  Then  he 
would  repeat  word  for  word  what  I  had  told  him, 
giving  it  as  his  plan  of  action,  and  ending  with,  — 

''  You  see,  ma'am,  women  is  women,  and  mens  is 
mens,"  and  that  settled  the  whole. 


EECONSTKUCTION  267 


XXIII 

KECONSTEUCTION 

As  we  were  returning  South  in  the  fall  of  1868, 
we  heard  disheartening  stories  about  the  freedmen. 
We  were  told  in  Washington  they  were  becoming 
usurpers.  They  realized  their  power,  and  began  to 
feel  they  could  do  without  white  influence.  It  was 
said  they  had  taken  the  entire  direction  of  their 
schools,  putting  into  office  colored  trustees  and  a  col- 
ored superintendent,  and  they  had  removed  several 
white  teachers  and  put  inefficient  colored  teachers  in 
their  places. 

Miss  Amy  Bradley,  who  was  giving  her  life  to  help 
the  ''poor  whites  "  in  Wilmington,  N.C.,  spoke  to  us 
of  the  arrogant  assumption  of  the  negroes  around 
her  as  a  serious  evil. 

In  Charleston  we  heard  of  riots  in  different  parts 
of  the  State,  excited  certainly  by  what  Governor 
Andrew  had  already  predicted,  the  unwillingness  of 
the  old  slave-holders  to  recognize  free  labor.  We 
feared  there  was  a  growing  hostility  between  the  two 
races,  as  races. 

We  took  a  small  steamer  from  Charleston  for  Beau- 
fort. Here  we  found  a  decided  change  since  we  went 
North.     Then  no  colored  person  was  allowed  on  the 


268        FIEST  DAYS   WITH   THE   CONTKABANDS 

upper  deck,  now  there  were  no  restrictions,  —  there 
could  be  none,  for  a  law  had  been  passed  in  favor  of 
the  negroes.  They  were  everywhere,  choosing  the 
best  staterooms  and  best  seats  at  the  table.  Two 
prominent  colored  members  of  the  State  Legislature 
were  on  board  with  their  families.  There  were  also 
several  well-known  Southerners,  still  uncompromis- 
ing rebels.  It  was  a  curious  scene  and  full  of  signifi- 
cance. An  interesting  study  to  watch  the  exultant 
faces  of  the  negroes,  and  the  scowling  faces  of  the 
rebels,  —  rebels  still  against  manifest  destiny  and  the 
new  dispensation.  Until  now  we  had  but  little  un- 
derstood these  portentous  changes,  the  meaning  of 
which  we  must  study  out  for  ourselves. 

We  were  summoned  to  dinner.  When  we  reached 
the  table  we  found  there  only  colored  people  occupy- 
ing more  than  half  the  seats  on  each  side.  They 
were  doing  the  honors  with  something  of  an  air  that 
said,  ''Keceive  this  from  me  or  go  without."  In  all 
'  respects,  however,  they  were  courteous  and  attentive. 
There  was  no  loud  talking  or  laughing. 

The  stewardess  came  behind  us,  and  leaning  over 
whispered  we  had  better  wait  a  little,  as  they  were 
obliged  to  give  the  colored  passengers  the  first  table. 
The  white  passengers  would  come  to  the  second. 
We  thanked  her,  but  preferred  to  keep  our  seats.  A 
few  Northerners  joined  us.  One,  who  we  knew  had 
been  a  first-class  Democrat,  and  "  down  on  the  niggers," 
was  obliged  to  leave  us  and  sit  next  to  a  man  as  black 
as  ink.  He  swallowed  his  prejudices  and  took  his 
seat,  and  fraternized  with  his  neighbor  to  the  best  of 


RECONSTRUCTIOK  269 

his  ability;  besides,  it  was  no  longer  a  question  of 
inclination,  it  was  business.  This  was  the  point  in 
which  our  fears  were  most  aroused.  The  freedmen, 
no  longer  slaves,  were  fast  becoming  tools. 

The  negro  who  sat  not  far  from  me  was  an  immense 
fellow,  seemingly  an  iron  man,  with  powerful  physique 
and  indomitable  will.  He  had  made  an  incendiary 
speech  in  July,  telling  his  people  this  was  their  gov- 
ernment, and  they  no  longer  needed  or  had  any  use 
for  white  people.  All  the  morning  he  had  walked 
around  scanning  and  apparently  marking  the  passen- 
gers. His  looks  seemed  to  say,  "  If  you  are  with  us, 
well  and  good ;  if  not,  stand  back."  Whilst  the 
scowling  faces  and  muttered  words  of  the  Southern- 
ers implied,  "  If  you  stand  back,  well  and  good ;  if 
you  fraternize  with  the  niggers,  be  ^ —  " 

The  little  group  of  Northerners  noted  and  trans- 
lated what  they  saw.  Each  one  watched  his  neigh- 
bor. I  now  understood  why  we  were  so  frequently 
asked  in  Charleston  if  we  were  not  afraid  to  return  to 
Beaufort  just  now.  Some  friends  had  earnestly  urged 
us  to  wait  until  after  election  on  Tuesday,  but  that 
was  the  time  we  wanted  to  be  with  the  people  in  our 
own  district.  We  had  no  fears  for  ourselves,  but  grave 
apprehensions  for  our  friends.  These  were  exciting 
times.     We  seemed  to  be  living  over  a  volcano. 

On  arriving  in  Beaufort  we  found  no  excitement 
amongst  the  freed  people,  and  no  apparent  antagon- 
ism. All  was  quiet  in  our  own  district.  Rumors  of 
disaffection  had  reached  our  colored  neighbors.  They 
came  to  us  to  know  what  it  all  meant. 


270         FIRST   DAYS    WITH   THE   CONTRABANDS 

I  can  only  refer  briefly  to  those  early  days  of 
reconstruction. 

Governor  Orr  had  declared  in  convention,  ''The 
doctrine  of  State  rights,  as  taught  in  South  Carolina, 
has  been  exploded  by  the  war."  This  had  been  "  a 
time-honored  doctrine  in  the  South." 

A  series  of  resolutions  had  been  drawn  up  in  the 
State  convention,  one  of  which  was  the  following :  — 

'*  And  whereas  our  newly  enfranchised  citizens  have  displayed 
their  good  sense  and  strong  love  of  country  by  a  cordial  and  unas- 
suming co-operation  with  the  rest  of  their  fellow-citizens,  in  pro- 
moting the  true  interests  of  our  beloved  State  and  glorious  republic, 
be  it  — 

^^  Resolvedj  That  this  convention  take  such  action  as  it  may  in 
its  wisdom  deem  compatible  with  its  powers,  and  conducive  to  the 
public  weal  to  expunge  forever  from  the  vocabulary  of  South 
Carolina  the  epithets  of  ^' negro,"  "nigger,"  and  "Yankee,"  as 
used  in  an  opprobrious  sense." 

The  constitutional  convention  also  declared,  — 

"  All  the  public  schools,  colleges,  and  universities  of  this  State, 
supported  by  the  public  funds,  shall  be  free  and  open  to  all  the 
children  and  youth  of  the  State,  without  regard  to  race  or  color." 

A  bill  "  to  protect  all  persons  in  the  State  in  their 
civil  rights,"  "  was  introduced  in  the  House  of  Rep- 
resentatives, which  declared  the  civil  equality  of 
all  citizens,  and  prohibited  any  discrimination  on 
account  of  race  or  color  on  the  part  of  hotel-keepers, 
carriers  of  passengers,  granters  of  licenses,"  etc. 

To  this  bill  were  the  colored  people  —  as  it  had 
been  decided  by  the  Democrats  to  call  them  "  colored 
population  "  for  '^  negroes,"  —  indebted  for  their  seats 


1869  271 

at  the  first  table  in  tlie  steamboat,  instead  of  the 
second. 

The  Democrats  sent  to  Washington  their  remon- 
strance against  the  new  constitution  of  the  State. 

Later  they  declared,  "  This  must  be  and  shall  be, 
par  excellence^  a  white  man's  government." 

This  is  not  a  political  paper.  I  give  these  extracts 
to  show  the  animus  of  the  times.  Knowing  how 
much  was  at  stake,  we  watched  with  intense  interest 
the  approaching  election,  in  which  the  freed  people 
were  for  the  first  time  to  vote  for  president,  and  take 
their  places  as  acknowledged  citizens  of  the  United 
States. 

But  election  day  came  and  went  without  conflict 
or  confusion.  Fortunately  for  all  concerned,  the  bar- 
rooms were  closed,  and  no  riotous  or  disorderly  people 
were  allowed  on  the  streets. 

In  those  first  days  of  reconstruction  the  white 
people  in  our  vicinity  were  much  given  to  fault- 
finding. With  them,  the  greatest  of  all  sinners  was 
the  ''inevitable  nigger."  Ignorance  and  stupidity 
were  inexcusable,  if  covered  with  a  black  skin.  These 
complaints  became  so  general  as  to  make  us  believe 
each  man  had  an  axe  to  grind,  which  must  be  done 
by  the  negroes ;  and  that  he  v/as  mad  if  the  stone 
was  not  turned  his  own  particular  way. 

1869. 

It  was  now  only  seven  years  since  the  slaves  had 
first  heard  of  emancipation.  Like  the  first  years  in 
the  life  of  mankind,  these  had  been  the  infancy  of  the 


272        FIKST   DAYS   WITH   THE   CONTRABANDS 

race.  The  second  period,  which  might  truly  be  termed 
its  boyhood,  had  now  begun.  Like  its  prototype  in 
man,  it  was  a  season  of  change  and  all  sorts  of  wild 
vagaries.  Transition  periods  are  times  of  great  per- 
plexities ;  time  and  patience  and  wise  forethought 
are  needed  to  bring  order  out  of  confusion. 

Individuals  amongst  the  freedmen  were  rapidly 
progressing ;  but  the  majority  were  uncertain  what  to 
do.  They  were  now,  for  the  first  time,  taking  their 
places  as  independent  human  beings ;  literally 
''  working  out  their  own  salvation,"  but  not  with 
fear  and  trembling.  Like  children  they  were  buoyant 
and  confident.  They  asked  less  and  less  advice  and 
help  from  their  white  neighbors.  Of  course  they 
made  great  mistakes  and  fatal  blunders.  Their  mis- 
fortunes were  their  best  teachers.  We  all  know  it  is 
by  our  failures,  and  not  our  successes,  we  get  the  best 
lessons  of  life. 

The  leaders  amongst  the  colored  people  had  already 
established  churches  in  all  the  towns,  with  branch 
societies  in  the  country.  These  were  in  good  work- 
ing order.  The  smaller  societies  were  regularly 
supervised  by  the  parent  churches.  At  the  beginning 
their  methods  were  crude  in  the  extreme  ;  but  there 
was  constantly  a  little  change  for  the  better.  This 
was  certainly  the  verdict  in  our  district,  after  much 
observation. 

The  next  step  with  the  colored  man  was  to  join  a 
political  club,  and  these  duties  became  more  absorbing 
than  all  else.  Every  boy  considered  himself  a  man 
at  eighteen,  and  every  man  had  some  office  in  his 


1869  273 

neighborhood  which  was  to  him  of  vast  importance, 
even  if  only  that  of  doorkeeper  in  their  small 
meetings. 

Most  of  the  field-work  was  done  by  the  women  and 
girls ;  their  lords  and  masters  were  much  interrupted 
in  agricultural  pursuits  by  their  political  and  religious 
duties.  When  the  days  of  "  conwentions  "  came,  the 
men  were  rarely  at  home ;  but  the  women  kept 
steadily  at  work  in  the  fields.  As  we  drove  around, 
we  saw  them  patiently  ''  cleaning  up  their  ground," 
''listing,"  "chopping  down  the  old  cotton  stalks 
and  hoeing  them  under,"  gathering  "sedge"  and 
"trash"  from  the  river-side,  which  they  carried  in 
baskets  on  their  heads,  and  spread  over  the  land. 
And  later,  hoeing  the  crops  and  gathering  theni  in. 

We  could  not  help  wishing  that  since  so  much  of 
the  work  was  done  by  the  colored  women,  —  raising 
the  provisions  for  their  families,  besides  making  and 
selling  their  own  cotton,  they  might  also  hold  some 
of  the  offices  held  by  the  men.  I  am  confident  they 
would  despatch  business  if  allowed  to  go  to  the  polls; 
instead  of  listening  and  hanging  around  all  day,  dis- 
cussing matters  of  which  they  knew  so  little,  they 
would  exclaim,  — 

"  Let  me  vote  and  go  ;   I've  got  work  to  do." 

Many  of  these  same  working-women  were  in  school 
at  odd  times,  eager  to  learn,  but  they  thought  they 
could  go  through  a  book  as  they  hoed  a  task. 
"  Please  read  me  quick,  and  let  me  go  !  "  was  usually 
their  first  exclamation.  It  took  time  to  make  them 
understand  that  learning  was  not  given  by  weight  or 


274        FIRST   DAYS    WITH   THE   CONTRABANDS 

measure.  As  soon  as  they  saw  that  school,  too, 
required  steady  work,  many  of  them  dropped  out. 

These  men  and  women  no  longer  left  everything 
to  come  ''  to  catch  a  lesson,"  as  in  the  first  days  of 
freedom.  Many  things  conspired  to  check  their  zeal, 
the  chief  of  which  was  the  little  importance  placed 
upon  education  throughout  the  country.  The  men 
were  eager  to  hold  office,  and  positions  of  trust  were 
frequently  given  to  those  who  could  neither  read  nor 
write,  while  those  who  were  studying  were  set  aside. 
In  time  they  decided  that  for  all  practical  purposes 
the  ignorant  got  along  as  well  as  ''those  that  have 
book-learning."  They  could  not  understand  that 
education  helped  them  to  ways  and  means  of  which 
they  knew  nothing.  They  had  yet  to  learn  the  power 
of  knowledge,  and  that  it  is  not  so  much  what  we  do, 
as  how  we  do  it. 

They  were  still  eager  to  keep  their  children  in 
school,  saying,  "  We  are  too  old  to  run  that  race  ;  the 
children  must  learn  for  us."  But  the  boys  and  girls 
who  stood  first  in  their  classes  were  unwilling  to  go 
back  to  field-work.  This  was  a  serious  offence  to  the 
old  people. 

"  Do  they  think  I  am  to  hoe  with  them  folks  that 
don't  know  anything !  "  exclaimed  one  of  the  older 
boys.  "  I  know  too  much  for  that."  Their  dialect  is 
the  last  thing  to  change. 

"  Them  children  discountenance  we,"  groaned  the 
parents.  "  They  is  too  smart ;  they  knows  too 
much,"  but  all  with  evident  pride  in  spite  of  their 
dissatisfaction. 


1869  275 

We  were  told  these  parents  carried  famous  reports 
to  town  of  what  our  scholars  could  do.  According 
to  these  partial  judges  there  was  no  knowledge  on 
the  face  of  the  earth  that  could  not  be  gained  in 
Whitney  School. 

The  town  children  came  out  to  "spection"  our 
district,  and  find  out  what  our  pupils  were  doing. 
These  visitors  talked  loudly  of  their  own  work,  to 
which  the  country  children  ''turned  up  their  noses," 
until  they  began  to  boast  of  ''  algeeher  "  and  '' passin^'^ 
then  our  children  were  silenced ;  they  had  not  reached 
algebra,  and  knew  but  little  of  parsing. 

One  of  the  head  men  came  to  ask  me  what  these 
meant,  and  couldn't  I  introduce  them  into  my  school. 

"Not  that  I  think  them  can  come  up  to  you, 
ma'am,  but  they  is  so  boastful,"  said  my  self-appointed 
supervisor. 

The  children  declared  scornfully,  "  They  can't  beat 
us,  for  they  don't  know  more  than  we." 

The  boys  soon  learned  to  play  ball,  and  were 
greatly  absorbed  in  this  amusement.  It  Avas  hard  for 
them  not  to  have  one  little  game  when  school  was 
over.  They  were  obliged  to  go  to  the  field  at  break 
of  day,  where  each  one  had  his  task  to  do  before  he 
could ''knock  off."  It  seemed  to  us  it  was  pretty 
much  "  all  work  and  no  play,"  which  would  make  a 
"  dull  boy  "  of  any  Jack.  But  the  parents  complained, 
"  Them  children  so  love  fur  play,  "  they  never  wanted 
to  come  home.  All  we  could  do  was  to  see  that  they 
did  not  stop  on  the  school  grounds ;  the  parents 
must  see  to  the  rest.     But   they  are    unwilling  to 


276         FIRST   DAYS   WITH   THE   CONTBABANDS 

assume  real  responsibility.  Home  discipline  and 
home  instruction  are  the  most  difficult  things  for  the 
colored  people  to  grapple  with. 

This  is  the  gist  of  the  ignorance  of  all  the  lowest 
classes.  When  they  can  learn  to  wisely  govern 
themselves  and  their  families,  they  cease  to  be  sub- 
ordinate, and  rise  to  the  level  of  leaders  and  di- 
rectors. 

The  chief  amusement  of  the  girls  was  to  sing 
and  to  sew  on  their  patchwork.  Sewing  was  the 
most  fascinating  of  all,  in  which  the  mothers  deeply 
sympathized.  The  only  thing  all  the  women  would 
beg  for  was  ''  scraps  for  quilts."  The  boys  begged 
''  to  sew  quilt  too,"  and  there  was  much  good-nat- 
ured rivalry  between  them  and  the  girls. 

One  day  a  class  of  small  girls  was  given  an  extra 
hour  to  sew  after  school.  This  was  considered  a 
special  ''  reward  of  merit."  They  had  more  freedom 
than  during  the  regular  school  hours.  I  heard  them 
chattering  like  blackbirds.     Finally  one  exclaimed,  — 

"  I  weary  fur  sew ;  I  hungry  too.  Ef  Miss  Noy 
only  gib  me  sew  at  home,  I  make  one  big  quilt  'fore 
this  month  done." 

"I  am  afraid  you  won't  keep  your  work  clean," 
said  the  teacher,  who  also  heard  their  talk;  ''one 
piece  is  very  much  soiled  already." 

They  looked  at  each  other  astonished,  as  if  clean- 
liness was  the  rule  and  not  the  exception ;  then  one 
said,  — 

"  Who  da  him  ?  That  one  somebody  never  wash 
hands.     I  done  wash  my  hands  'fore  school." 


DISCOURAGED  277 

Ah,  me  !  It  was  impossible  to  correct  the  language 
of  these  childi^en,  when  out  of  school  they  heard 
nothing  but  the  plantation  dialect. 

Discouraged, 

In  the  fall  of  1869  we  found  grave  causes  for 
anxiety  cropping  out  in  our  district.  The  old  people 
were  fast  breaking  down  ;  the  younger  people  had 
not  the  patience  and  endurance  of  their  parents. 
Trials  and  ve!s:ations  were  to  them  dire  misfortunes. 
The  children  ran  more  at  large,  and  acquired  bad 
habits.  In  former  times  the  elders  had  unquestioned 
authority  over  the  young  people,  from  whom  they 
exacted  implicit  obedience. 

Speculators  had  succeeded  in  getting  hold  of  much 
of  the  land  near  us.  From  the  friends  of  the  freed 
people  in  town,  who  tried  to  shield  them  against 
sharpers  and  carpet-baggers,  the  women  had  learned 
that  they  too  had  independent  rights  in  their  ten-acre 
lots,  most  of  which  had  been  bought  with  their  own 
money.  Some  of  these  women  were  firm  in  refusing 
to  sign  the  papers  which  transferred  their  lands. 
The  men,  directed  by  their  white  leaders,  used  all 
sorts  of  ways  to  bring  their  wives  into  subjection. 

One  woman,  who  would  not  consent  to  the  sale  of 
her  land,  became  ill.  Her  husband  kindly  offered  to 
take  her  to  a  good  white  doctor  in  town ;  so  she 
willingly  went  with  him.  When  they  reached  the 
town  he  took  her  into  an  office  where  were  several 
white  men.  One  of  these  questioned  her.  and  then 
said  he  now  understood  what  was  the  matter,  and  he 


278         FIRST  DAYS   WITH   THE   CONTRABANDS 

would  give  her  an  order  for  some  medicine,  but  she 
must  first  sign  the  receipt.  This  she  did  by  touching 
the  pen  in  the  presence  of  witnesses. 

These  poor  creatures  had  profound  respect  for 
'^  handwriting,"  and  the  ^  touching  the  pen  was  to 
them  a  kind  of  necromancy.  This  woman  hesitated, 
but  was  assured  by  all  present  that  it  was  all 
right. 

For  a  long  time  she  was  ignorant  of  the  fact  that 
her  land  was  sold,  and  that  she  had  signed  away  her 
title  when  she  signed  the  so-called  receipt.  When 
she  found  out  the  deception,  she  declared  she  would 
never  give  up  her  claim,  year  after  year  still  asserting 
she  would  never  give  it  up, ''  Not  while  I  lives."  But 
she  died,  and  her  children  were  powerless,  and  the 
place  went  into  a  white  man's  hands. 

There  were  innumerable  cases  of  this  kind  around 
us.  The  opening  of  a  new  railroad  and  a  new  town 
had  greatly  increased  the  value  of  the  land. 

January,  1869,  we  received  word  that  all  the  col- 
ored people  who  owned  land  must  pay  a  back  tax 
for  1866 ;  they  had  already  paid  for  1867.  The 
original  tax  was  $1.10 ;  but  on  account  of  delays 
and  "  charges,"  all  of  which  were  unintelligible  to 
the  negroes,  the  sum  now  amounted  to  $4.85.  They 
were  notified  that  if  they  delayed  paying  this  tax 
their  lands  would  be  sold.  They  were  in  a  panic, 
and  so  were  we.  They  gathered  together  everything 
which  could  possibly  be  sold  —  corn,  chickens,  and 
pigs  ;  indeed,  they  stripped  their  little  farms.  In  this 
excitement  we  drove  to  and   from  town  to  see  the 


DISCOUP.AGED  279 

officials,  and  wrote  in  every  direction  for  advice. 
Finally,  we  were  notified  the  tax  collection  was 
stopped;  but  the  mischief  was  done.  Most  of  the 
people  had  beggared  themselves  to  raise  what  was 
to  them  a  small  fortune  ;  but  they  settled  back  into 
contentment  and  quiet. 

Then  came  a  new  order  that  the  law  must  be 
enforced,  and  the  back  taxes  paid.  It  was  a  cruel 
thing  that  these  poor  people  should  be  obliged  to  pay 
so  dearly  for  theii^  ignorance.  They  had  never  been 
notified  of  this  tax  for  1866.  Some  of  the  lands  were 
sold  before  the  matter  could  be  readjusted. 

It  was  touching  to  see  the  humility  and  contrition 
of  the  neofroes  when  thino-s  went  wronof.  Instead  of 
expressing  anger  when  over-reached,  they  seemed 
grieved  and  ready  to  apologize  for  their  stupidity. 
Over  and  over  again  they  would  say.  — 

'•  Mv  Lord,  ma'am  I  what  a  oTcat  thingr  larnincr  is ! 
In  course  white  folks  can  do  what  they  likes,  for  they 
knows  so  much  more'na  ^  e.'* 

As  March  said  of  the  Xorthern  man  who  cheated 
him,  — 

•*  I  declar.'  he  don't  desarv  to  be  a  white  man." 

In  time  the  negroes  began  to  profit  by  their  fail- 
ures. In  slavery  times  success  had  been  held  up  as  a 
crowning  virtue.     I  once  heard  a  slave-holder  say.  — 

''  I  never  whip  a  nigger  for  stealing,  but  I'll  lick 
him  half  to  death  for  being  found  out.  They  iciU 
steal;  all  the  nigs  will:  but  if  they  ain't  smart 
enough  to  hide  it,  they  deserve  to  be  thrashed,  and  I 
tell  my  niggers  so." 


280        FIRST   DAYS   WITH  THE  CONTRABANDS 

Such  were  the  schools  from  which  most  of  these 
people  were  graduated.  When  they  became  free  we 
cannot  wonder  if  they  wished  to  be  as  sharp  as  their 
neighbors. 


PKOGRESS  281 


XXIV 

PEOGRESS 

While  recalling  the  incidents  and  events  con- 
tiected  with  "  my  first  days  with  the  contrabands,"  I 
am  overwhelmed  with  the  crowd  of  memories  which 
rash  along.  Two  pictures  stand  out  clearly  before 
tne,  —  that  of  the  slaves  just  freed,  and  the  negroes 
of  the  present  time.  It  is  not  easy  to  believe  they 
are  the  same,  unless  one  has  carefully  watched  the 
progress  of  the  race. 

I  can  say  nothing  of  this  progress ;  that  is  a  history 
by  itself.  I  can  only  speak  of  the  first  decade  after 
emancipation,  as  I  saAV  it.  That  was  in  the  begin- 
ning. The  order  then  was,  "  March  on  !  "  It  is  the 
same  to-day. 

Taking  the  analogy  of  field-work,  which  we  often 
used  with  our  pupils  to  illustrate  the  course  of  their 
education :  the  land  must  first  be  cleaned  up ;  old 
stalks  and  weeds  must  be  chopped  down  and  burned; 
then  come  hoeing  and  ploughing  and  digging,  before 
planting.  When  the  seed  is  in  the  ground,  it  requires 
patience  to  wait  for  its  growth,  and  constant  watch- 
fulness and  care  to  keep  out  the  weeds ;  the  richer 
the  soil,  the  more  vigorous  the  growth  of  weeds. 


282         FIRST   DAYS    WITH    THE   CONTRABANDS 

Such  were  the  similes  we  used  in  those  first  days, 
and  they  do  not  inaptly  typify  the  lives  of  the  freed 
people. 

My  experiences  are  but  one  leaf  in  the  history  of 
emancipation.  Every  line  is  written  with  profound 
respect  for  the  negro  race.  *  There  is  nothing  in  the 
history  of  the  world  which,  in  portentous  magnitude, 
can  compare  with  the  progress  of  events  since  "  free- 
dom was  declared."  To-day  the  African  race  stands 
side  by  side  with  us, — independent  citizens,  asking 
only  for  rights  and  privileges  and  opportunities 
which  are  "  God's  providences." 

Just  twenty  years  from  the  time  I  attended  the 
emancipation  jubilee  in  Charleston,  I  was  present  at 
another  New  Year's  celebration  gotten  up  by  the  col- 
ored people  of  Beaufort.  They  had  erected  a  stand, 
in  front  of  which  was  an  arch  of  evergreens ;  over 
the  centre  was  a  portrait  of  Lincoln,  and  at  each  cor- 
ner portraits  of  Grant  and  Garfield. 

These  are  some  of  the  signs  which  mark  the  prog- 
ress of  the  freed  people.  Watching  their  military 
movements,  and  listening  to  their  good  speakers,  it 
was  not  easy  to  realize  that  only  two  decades  had 
passed  since  they  were  in  slavery. 

When  freedom  was  first  declared  it  took  a  long 
time  for  the  good  news  to  spread  and  be  believed.  In 
1864  the  country  people  were  many  of  them  just 
awakening  to  the  fact  that  slavery  was  dead,  and  they 
had  little  faith  that  freedom  would  last. 

'^How  far  can  the  negroes  go  in  education?"  is 
often  asked.     That  depends  upon  time  and  circum- 


PROGRESS  283 

stances,  to  say  nothing  of  previous  conditions.  The 
children  learn  readily  and  memorize  quickly.  Then 
the  lack  of  habits  of  application  bars  the  way.  What 
is  learned  in  school  is  repeated  at  home,  and  so  the 
whole  is  leavened.  In  this  way  the  family  is  in- 
structed and  advanced,  while  the  progress  of  the 
child  is  retarded.  He  hears  only  the  plantation  dia- 
lect, and  becomes  familiar  with  the  plantation  super- 
stitions. 

The  scholars  would  write  correctly  from  dictation ; 
—  their  eyes  and  ears  were  seldom  at  fault ;  —  but 
when  writing  by  themselves  they  made  sad  havoc 
with  the  English  language. 

For  instance ;  one  of  our  most  satisfactory  pupils 
left  school,  and  was  married ;  but  he  was  anxious  to 
keep  up  his  studies,  so  he  wrote  me,  "  If  you  have  any 
spear  books  such  as  I  shall  name,  which  is  dictionary, 
United  States  History,  to  lone,  gave,  or  sole  me." 
He  got  his  books,  w^hich  we  gave  him  with  a  bit  of 
advice  about  writing.  We  recalled  what  Raph  said, 
''A  slip  of  the  tongue  am  noiault  of  the  brain." 

To  know  how  to  apply  what  they  learn  is  the 
secret  to  be  gained. 

General  S.  C.  Armstrong  said  in  one  of  his  re- 
ports, — 

''  The  negro  is  more  successful  in  getting  knowledge  than  in 
using  it.  To  him,  as  to  all,  knowledge  comes  easily,  but  wisdom 
slowly.  Knowledge  is  power  only  as  it  is  digested  and  assimilated. 
His  mental  digestion  is  weak.  The  education  of  the  American 
negro  is,  I  think,  dealing  with  the  most  responsible,  responsive, 
and  satisfactory  student  material  to  be  found  among  the  less 
favored  races  of  this  or  any  land.'^ 


284         FIRST   DAYS    WITH   THE   CONTRABANDS 

All  the  freed  people  have  not  improved,  but  most 
have,  and  no  one  stands  still. 

One  of  the  first  colored  soldiers  ever  brought 
under  my  care  was  a  middle-aged  light  man  from 
New  Orleans.  He  was  sad  and  hopeless.  The  whole 
burden  of  his  talk  was,  "  I  never  had  a  chance.  O 
lady,  I  wanted  to  learn,  but  I  never  had  a  chance. 
Too  late  now ;  too  late.  /  never  had  a  chanced 
This  he  repeated  over  and  over  again. 

Regularity, 

Irregularity  is  one  of  the  greatest  faults  of  the 
negroes.  I  wish  I  could  say  that  this  habit  was  con- 
fined to  the  black  people  of  the  South.  They  have 
never  yet  learned  that  ''  time  and  tide  wait  for  no 
man."  Perhaps  our  white  friends  consider  this  an- 
other '^  Yankee  notion." 

At  one  time  I  engaged  one  of  the  oldest  boys  from 
the  first  class  to  assist  in  school.  He  was  to  ring  the 
bell,  put  the  house  in  order,  and  make  himself  gener- 
ally useful.  He  was  proud  over  this  appointment, 
besides,  it  gave  him  a  little  pocket-money. 

The  first  day  he  came  all  right,  according  to  direc- 
tion ;  the  second  he  went  ''to  vote,"  and  was  absent 
all  day ;  the  third  day  he  rang  the  bell  an  hour 
too  early ;  on  the  fourth  we  waited  in  vain  to  hear 
the  bell,  then  sent  some  one  to  ring  it  and  open 
the  house.  He  came  an  hour  and  a  half  after  time. 
At  first  I  excused  him,  knowing  he  had  neither  clock 
nor  watch  to  guide  him ;  but  there  was  always  a 
clock  by  the  kitchen  door  not  far  away  which  he 
could  consult. 


PROGRESS  285 

Finally,  I  gave  him  up.  He  was  too  dilatory. 
Then  two  gi]is  begged  me  to  give  them  the  place. 
They  were  always  on  time,  but  I  am  not  at  all  sure 
that  my  good  old  cook  did  not  hang  out  a  signal  for 
them.  I  am  certain  they  were  at  her  pantry  door 
when  we  sat  down  at  breakfast.  The  schoolroom 
was  always  clean  and  in  excellent  order  when  we 
arrived.  Upon  hearing  our  commendations  the  boy 
sneered  at  the  girls,  saying  it  took  two  of  them  to  do  , 
the  work  he  had  done. 

We  took  one  of  these  girls  to  drill  a  number  of 
tiny  creatures  called  the  infantry  class.  Her  method 
was  amusing.  She  would  say,  ''  How  much  eyes  you 
got?  How  much  nose  you  got?  Now  count  for 
me  till  twenty.  Morris,  you  knock  Betty?  Oh, 
what  a  bad  boy  you  is  !  "  The  little  ones  would 
listen  with  as  profound  attention  as  if  she  were  the 
wisest  teacher  in  the  land. 

Our  hopes  for  the  future  of  this  race  must  lie  in 
the  children  born  in  freedom.  They  are  like  a  new 
race,  unknown  before. 

The  incidents  I  have  narrrated  show  the  condition 
of  the  slaves  when  emancipated ;  ^^but,  as  the  negro 
boy  said  to  General  Howard  when  asked  what  report 
he  should  take  to  their  Northern  friends,  — 

''Massa,  tell  'em  we  is  risin',"  he  said,  and  rising 
they  surely  are.  The  march  is  slow  and  over  a  zig- 
zag path.  As  when  we  go  up  a  mountain  our  way  \ 
ascends  and  descends,  so  these  people  go  up  and 
down  in  their  progress  towards  civilization ;  but  they 
invariably  go  up  more  than  down. 


286         FIRST   DAYS    WITH    THE    CONTRABANDS 

Let  us  see  where  the  negro  race  stands  in  1892. 

The  following  facts,  carefully  collected  by  Rev. 
Dr.  Beard,  Secretary  of  the  American  Missionary 
Association,  speak  for  themselves. 

""  Twenty-seven  years  ago  forbidden  to  read  by  law,  without  a 
school;  to-day  with  25,530  schools!  Then  not  a  child  in  school, 
in  all  the  families  of  4,000,000!  Now  2,250,000  have  learned  - 
read,  and  most  of  them  to  write;  while,  according  to  the  census 
1890,  there  are  in  the  Afro-American  schools  238,229  pupils,  the 
increase  in  attendance  the  last  ten  years  being  more  than  62|-  per 
cent.  Twenty-seven  years  ago  a  negro  school-teacher  would  have 
been  a  curiosity;  to-day,  by  the  grace  of  God,  and  by  the  grit  of 
their  own  manhood,  20,000  Afro-Americans  are  teaching  school. 
Twenty-seven  years  ago  it  was  thought  that  the  colored  man  was 
incapable  of  higher  education;  to-day  there  are  66  academies  and 
high-schools  presided  over  and  taught  by  colored  teachers.  To-day 
there  are  150  schools  for  advanced  education  for  the  training  o^ 
Afro-American  pupils.  Among  these  are  seven  colleges  admini^ 
tered  by  colored  presidents  and  faculties,  and  three  of  these  college 
presidents  were  formerly  slaves. 

'*  While  by  the  Southern  States  alone  $50,000,000  have  been  raise 
for  the  purpose  of  Afro-American  education,  the  great  bulk  of  tl 
teachers  of  higher  education  have  come  from  the  institution 
maintained  by  the  funds  from  the  North. 

*' Asto  the  learned  professions,  there  are  1,000  college-bred  negn 
ministers  in  the  land.  Twenty-seven  years  ago  there  were  twc 
newspapers  edited  by  colored  men;  now  there  are  154.  In  1805 
there  were  two  negro  attorneys;  there  are  now  250.  Twenty-seven 
years  ago  there  were  three  colored  physicians;  now  there  are  749. 
Two  hundred  and  forty-seven  colored  students  are  to-day  in  the 
universities  of  Europe." 


THE  END 


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